


I’m Only Good (at Being Bad)

by exonomics



Category: Produce 101 (TV), X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Friends With Benefits, Hangyul's bad with feelings, M/M, Or Hangyul thinks so, Slow Burn, Tsundere Hangyul, is it though i fee like it moves fast idk, we all know where this came from
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 05:16:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 27,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21030854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exonomics/pseuds/exonomics
Summary: Seungyoun is just Hangyul’s co-worker. Nothing more.





	I’m Only Good (at Being Bad)

**Author's Note:**

> what if i write 27k Seungyul porn instead of writing my actual WIP hahaha...unless....
> 
> Translated into Russian here: https://ficbook.net/readfic/8781450  
Thanks Saluki!

The bass is overwhelming, enough for Hangyul’s ears to ring over the roar of the crowd. It’s funny; when he first started dancing at _ Produce _, he would get dizzy within the first few minutes after eleven, when the lights turned low and the music turned up. Now, Hangyul lives off of it - each beat pulses through his body, swims through his blood, and exits through his fingertips. 

He raises his arms above his head, making sure his shirt rides up as he stretches his body on the stage. It’s enough to tease the patrons, some howling for his shirt to come off, others desperately holding out money for the taking. Hangyul figures he’s teased everyone enough, so he turns his back on the crowd and pulls his shirt over his head, letting the audience see his tattoos. The cheers grow louder, especially when he turns and everyone can get a full look of him.

Now comes the fun.

There’s a young woman surrounded by friends. She’s wearing some sort of tiara and sash - a birthday? bachelorette party? - and shyly holds out a few thousand won bills. Her friends push her close to the stage, and Hangyul wastes no time crouching down, following the rhythm of the beat to reach out and brush his hand against hers, lingering for a few seconds before he takes the money out of her hand. The group shrieks in delight, and Hangyul makes sure to send them a wink before he gets back up. 

More hands are shooting up now, each trying to get his attention. It’s exhilarating, the feeling of lust and _ desire _hanging in the air, so thick Hangyul could get drunk off it. As he saunters to the other side of the stage, he scans the bills floating around. His eyes eventually land on a fifty thousand won bill being held by a middle aged man in an expensive looking suit. 

Old and rich. _ Nice. _

Immediately he drops down to his knees and slides on the floor, never breaking eye contact with the man. He looks a bit taken aback at first, eyes darting around to see if it’s really _ him _who’s grabbed Hangyul’s attention. It’s a bit humorous, and Hangyul has to bite back a laugh. He’s quick to lean over the side of the stage, so close he can smell the man’s cologne, and grabs the bill with his teeth. 

Everyone starts calling his name and waving their money, and it’s moments like this that Hangyul wishes would last forever. But everything comes to an end too fast, and he can hear the end of his song. He gives a sympathetic smirk to the crowd before he walks back to the center of the stage. The last few beats of the song play, and Hangyul pulses with each note, ending his stage on the chair he started with. The club erupts into cheers, and Hangyul feels like a star.

The lights go up a bit, and Seungwoo comes back on stage. “Let’s hear it one more time for our powerful Hangyul!” he calls, waving his arm. 

There’s yells and whistles from every corner of the club, and Hangyul gets up off his chair and takes a bow. As Seungwoo makes his remarks, Hangyul runs from one end of the stage to the other, collecting any leftover won from the stage and from whoever’s hands are still stretched out. He takes one more bow, grabs his shirt that he almost forgets, then tucks behind the stage curtains. A staff member gives him a towel, and he graciously takes it, wiping the sweat off of his neck and hair. He’s definitely looking forward to a shower later.

Wooseok is still in their dressing room, exactly where Hangyul left him: in front of the mirror. “Way to get ‘em, tiger,” he greets, briefly looking over when Hangyul walks in. 

“Thanks,” Hangyul breathes out, taking a seat at his table to set his tips down. “Looks like a good night,” he says, mainly to himself. He probably made around two hundred thousand won. Not bad for an eight minute set. That, plus some extra tips he made off of backing the bar. If he’s lucky, maybe Eunyoung will let him help with the bar before his shift is finished. 

He can’t help but feel a bit triumphant, and he sends a smile over to Wooseok who’s still getting his makeup ready and-

Oh for fuck’s sake.

Wooseok’s putting on the fucking _ cat ears _ on again. 

It has Hangyul gagging and rolling his eyes. “I can’t _ believe _you still have those.”

“You’re just jealous I get more tips when I wear them,” Wooseok says back, eyes never leaving the mirror. The stupid cat ear clips are perfectly perched on his head, and yeah, fine, Hangyul’s jealous that all Wooseok needs to do is dress like a fucking cat to make money. 

It has Hangyul scowling. “You’re just lucky I always warm the crowd up before you go on,” he murmurs as he grabs a water bottle. 

“And you’re lucky you never have to go on after a _ true _ performer,” Wooseok teases back, and Hangyul decides he’s had enough of Wooseok for the evening. He pats himself down a few more times with the towel, throws his tips into his bag under his make-up table, then takes his water bottle and a new shirt back out to the busy hallway. He starts heading back out towards the bar, but changes course when he spots Yohan waving him over back in the wings.

“Put a fucking shirt on,” is how Yohan greets him.

Hangyul rolls his eyes, but throws his shirt over his head. “What’s up?”

“Seungyoun’s new set,” Yohan replies, pointing out to the stage. “He said it’s his best yet.”

_ Oh. _

Hangyul sniffs, taking another sip of his water. “I’d rather watch paint dry.”

His best friend hums instead of replying, and Hangyul can see the eye roll from the back of Yohan’s head. 

“Next, I’ll need you all to make some noise for _ Produce’s _ sly fox. Give it up for Seungyoun!”

“He’s _ got _ to get a new nickname,” Hangyul mutters, and Yohan smacks his shoulder. 

The room goes silent as light piano keys play over the speakers. Hangyul can see Seungyoun sitting in the center of the stage, waiting until the spotlight shines on him. The crowd is cheering, and Hangyul can see why - Seungyoun’s in a pinstripe suit; tight pants, a top hat, and nothing but a loose fitting jacket on top. There’s only one button on the jacket, and Hangyul knows that’s not staying on too much longer, especially when Seungyoun’s chest is already slipping out, showing so much skin, yet not enough. 

Seungyoun looks _good. _

Not that, y’know, Hangyul would notice or anything.

The music picks up, and Seungyoun dances around on stage, all long limbs and dramatic movements. While the other dancers usually go for slower songs, Seungyoun’s music is always upbeat and wild, much like the way he dances. He can’t look away, even if Hangyul wants to. Seungyoun is just too captivating on stage, and he knows it. So much so, that when he turns to tease his jacket off, he knows exactly where they are standing. 

Exactly where _ Hangyul _ is standing. 

He even has the audacity to _ smirk _ at Hangyul, the asshole, right in the middle of his performance. The sheer unprofessionalism. 

Once Seungyoun’s jacket is off and Seungyoun whips back around to face the crowd - and Hangyul does _ not _stare at his tattoos - the music abruptly changes, moving from a wild dance track to something darker. The bass makes the floor shake, and Seungyoun’s dancing changes with it. Even though Hangyul can’t see his face, he knows Seungyoun’s expressions has changed as well. The crowd confirms his suspicions, as they grow louder with each passing second. 

And as embarrassing as it is, Hangyul just knows exactly what Seungyoun looks like right now, exactly how he’s biting his lip, running his hand down his chest, swaying his hips to the beat of the music. He knows Seungyoun so well that his body is already reacting, getting hot and bothered and thank _ god _ Seungyoun’s set is ending now, _ whew _ anyone else feel lightheaded? 

“Wow,” Yohan smartly says. 

“He wasn’t kidding. That was great,” Seungwoo agrees, picking up the microphone again and quickly heading back to the main stage. 

Hangyul is still frozen in his spot, mainly because he can feel his lower extremities getting excited. Which is the exact opposite reaction that Hangyul wants right now. He turns on his heels and tells Yohan “I’m getting a drink,” before shuffling off. He has half a mind to actually go get a drink from the bar, but he instead turns down the hallway back towards the dressing rooms. It’s a bit difficult since his pants are still feeling a bit tight, and he feels like everyone he walks past knows it too. 

Thankfully, he makes it to his destination in one piece, only having to nod at a few staff members as they pass. 

“Well?” 

Hangyul jolts and quickly leans against the wall, crossing his arms and looking at his nails. “Well, what?” he answers, trying his hardest to sound bored.

He can see Seungyoun walk over to him out of the corner of his eye. _ Oh god, he’s still not wearing a shirt. _ “How’d you like the set?” Seungyoun asks, stopping right in front of Hangyul. 

It physically hurts trying to not look at Seungyoun’s shirtless chest. “I had to keep myself from falling asleep.” 

Seungyoun hums in response. “Your pants say otherwise.”

Hangyul frowns, then follows where he’s looking and-

_ Fuck. _

He’s still got a pretty obvious tent in his pants.

Seungyoun laughs. “Need some help with that?”

“I hate you.”

_____

_ “I hate you.” _

Hangyul says that to everyone. It’s his catchphrase, his _ thing. _ Does he hate everyone? No. Of course not. It’s just that, as Wooseok so eloquently put it one evening, Hangyul has the emotional intelligence of a flaccid dick (Seungwoo then so nicely said that it’s okay not to be good with feelings), so “I hate you” comes a lot easier than actual feelings.

He doesn’t hate Yohan, even if the latter eats the last of their ramen and doesn’t buy any more. That deserves a strong _ “I hate you,” _ followed by Hangyul dragging his roommate by the shirt collar down to the 7Eleven across the street (instead of a “Hey, let’s go grocery shopping together like actual adults, you deserve an actual meal”). He doesn’t hate Seungwoo, even if he can be a bit overbearing like a mother hen. Seungwoo does it because Seungwoo _ cares, _but Hangyul has a brand to uphold. So Seungwoo gets a mumbled “I hate you,” whenever he presses water into Hangyul’s hands instead of another beer (instead of “Thanks for looking out for me, I need to pace myself better"). And though Wooseok may be the devil incarnate and was put on the Earth to drive Hangyul mad, Hangyul doesn’t hate him. Wants to choke him? Absolutely. Hate him? Not so much. 

Cho Seungyoun. 

Now, Hangyul _ hates _Cho Seungyoun.

He hates how loud Seungyoun is. He hates how childish Seungyoun is. He hates how _ annoying _ Seungyoun is. He hates that people actually _ like _Seungyoun. He hates how good Seungyoun is at dancing, and how good he is at singing, how good he is at working the patrons up to the point his pockets are stuffed with tips. 

He hates how Seungyoun looks breathtaking on stage, how he knows how to move his body to the music in a way that keeps Hangyul captivated. He hates how Seungyoun just _ knows _ when Hangyul’s watching, just _ knows _ how to push his buttons, just _ knows _that Hangyul can’t help but follow the way his body moves against the pole or against someone else. 

He hates how good of a fuck Seungyoun is. He hates how Seungyoun makes him see stars. He hates that no matter where they end up, no matter who’s bending the other over, Seungyoun leaves Hangyul in a mess of whimpers and groans and pleads and _ oh fuck, right there _ s.

Hangyul hates Cho Seungyoun.

And reminds him as often as he can.

_ “I hate you,” _ Hangyul wheezes, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible. It’s difficult, especially with the bathroom sink digging into his stomach, especially with the way Seungyoun’s hips are moving against his. He leans up to lock eyes with Seungyoun through the mirror mounted on the wall, just so the (literal) pain in his ass can _ see _how much he hates him. 

That may have been a mistake, because Seungyoun looks right back at him, defiant and groaning and _ gorgeous _ and Hangyul may have just moaned at the sight _ . _

His suspicions are confirmed when Seungyoun smirks back at him. _ “Sure _ you do, Gyullie,” he purrs, and moves his hands from Hangyul’s hips up to his shoulders. He pushes Hangyul back down against the sink and lays himself right against Hangyul’s back, nibbling along Hangyul’s neck. His hands slide up Hangyul’s arms until they reach his wrists, gripping them tight and holding Hangyul down like a whore, cheek against the cool table and mouth wide open and panting and _ fuck, _Hangyul hates that Seungyoun can fuck him into submission. 

But he’s not about to be outdone by Seungyoun, _no fucking way,_ so he clenches around Seungyoun’s dick and Seungyoun _wails._ _“Fuck,”_ he moans into Hangyul’s neck. “Do that again.”

Hangyul does, and smirks to himself when he hears Seungyoun get _ louder, _ if that was even possible. He has to wonder if they can be heard over the music thumping through the floor, because the noises in the cramped bathroom are deafening, from Seungyoun’s moans to the creak of the sink, from the sound of skin slapping together to Hangyul’s breathless pants. It’s all so much at once, and Hangyul can feel his release from the tips of his toes, climbing all the way up to his stomach. 

_ “Close,” _ he whispers, and Seungyoun immediately grips his cock, jerking him off to the rhythm of his thrusts and Hangyul knows he’s a goner. He holds in his breath as Seungyoun pushes pushes _ pushes _ all the way inside, until his balls are against Hangyul’s ass, until Hangyul comes all over Seungyoun’s fist. 

He melts against the sink, gasping for air as Seungyoun keeps fucking him open. He’s oversensitive and his ears start ringing, but he has enough energy to clench around Seungyoun once more, sucking his orgasm right out.

_ “Fucker,” _ Seungyoun groans at him, and he holds Hangyul down as he fills the condom. It has Hangyul laughing, and that earns him a half-assed slap on his thigh. 

Both stay frozen for a few minutes, letting the afterglow wash over them. Seungyoun’s face is still tucked into Hangyul’s neck, and he can feel each of Seungyoun’s breathes against his skin. It has him shivering. 

Seungyoun takes a few more moments before finally peeling off of Hangyul’s back and slipping out. Hangyul feels his knees buckle, and he’s glad he’s laying on the sink to keep himself upright.

“You good?” Seungyoun asks, and Hangyul can feel his hand against his hip.

He nods back. “Fine.” More than fine, really. Hangyul’s ears are _ still _ ringing. He’s completely spent and that’s just how he likes it. 

Fuck Seungyoun for fucking him so well.

After a few seconds, Hangyul slowly gets up, stretching his body out. And just for good measure, he sticks his ass out a bit, knowing Seungyoun won’t be able to look away. One last stretch and Hangyul sighs. “I need a shower,” he mumbles, mostly to himself. 

“Same,” Seungyoun agrees, throwing the condom in the garbage. He gives Hangyul a smile. “Wanna join?” 

Hangyul blinks. “Why didn’t we just fuck _ in _ the shower if you were so eager?”

Seungyoun blinks back. _ “You _were the one who started on the sink!” he whines, holding an accusatory finger at Hangyul.

“Oh my god…” 

Now Seungyoun’s pouting and already taking Hangyul by the hand._ “C’mon. _ It’s almost closing and I have to water my plants when I get home.”

_ “Oh my god,” _ Hangyul laments again. An idiot, Seungyoun is. But Hangyul lets said idiot pull him into the shower.

_____

Lee Hangyul hates Cho Seungyoun. The elder has the maturity of a five year old and doesn’t seem to understand the elaborate nuance of shutting the fuck up. 

But somehow, the two of them started fooling around behind closed doors; arguments turned flirty, sly touches turned to angry make-out sessions, and quick hand jobs back stage turned to Seungyoun fucking Hangyul on his dressing room couch. 

That last part has been pretty frequent.

Hangyul blames it on constantly being surrounded by hormones and, y’know, selling sex on a stage. Ever since he took the job as a dancer at _ Produce _, a club one step away from an all out strip joint - Hangyul’s libido has been off the charts. He supposes he needed to let it out somehow.

And it’s not like Hangyul had options anyway. 

Yohan? Never. Hangyul has been friends with Yohan since they were kids. He’s the closest thing Hangyul’s had to a brother. They lost teeth together. Shared their first crushes together. Watched porn for the first time together. He accidentally walked in on Yohan in the shower once and still has nightmares about doing it again. 

Wooseok? Even though he dresses like a furry and still somehow gets the most tips every night, he’s straight as a rail. Even has a girlfriend who knows he moonlights as a stripper. Hangyul once made a joke about the two of them sleeping together. What he got was Wooseok sending him a dozen links to straight porn and Hangyul was quick to get the message. 

Seungwoo? Okay, yeah, Hangyul would have gladly sucked Seungwoo off the first few months he started working at _ Produce _, but Seungwoo quickly fell into a strange territory of friend and an older brother figure and now Hangyul kind of feels bad for having wet dreams about him. 

So he supposes Seunyoun was the only eligible candidate left to vent his sexual frustrations on. And even Hangyul can admit there was some sparks between them (Somewhere, Yohan’s screaming _ “I could choke from the sexual tension!” _ and he can, frankly, shut the fuck up). But hey, they’re two good looking guys with urges, are just fooling around with no strings attached, and honestly Hangyul loves being able to shut Seungyoun up for a few minutes. 

But he still hates him. 

_____

Y’know something Hangyul hates almost as much as Seungyoun?

Openings.

Opening _ Produce _ means cleaning tables and polishing silverware, sweeping floors and backing the bar with glasses for the night. All of the staff at the club go through openings - come in two hours before the club opens for drinks, and help serve until it’s time for the shows. Hangyul hates openings, because that’s two less hours he’s working for tips. 

That, and he somehow is always stuck with cleaning the table that has gum stuck to it.

“There’s garbage cans everywhere!” he whines, trying with all his might to get the gum off with a knife. “Throw your fucking gum away!” But the gum won’t budge. It just sits there, against the black table top, laughing. Mocking him. 

Hangyul’s going to cry.

A sympathetic hand squeezes his shoulder. “You could try some of the counter cleaner?” Seungwoo suggests. “That may eat away at it.”

Hangyul sniffs. “We’re never allowing gum in here ever again.” He’s being serious, but all he gets from Seungwoo is a chuckle and a pat on the ass. So he huffs to the bar, mumbling as he goes behind and looks for the spray cleaner. 

He startles when something slams against the bar. He whips his head around, and sees Seungyoun sitting down on a barstool. “Good evening,” he greets, a stupid smile on his face. He’s got his stupid glasses on, his stupid beanie over his hair, and he’s pulling out a stupid take-out container and -

“Hey, hey! No eating!” Hangyul jeers, swatting Seungyoun food. “I just cleaned that!”

“Chill, I won’t make a mess.” Seungyoun rolls his eyes and lays the container on the plastic bag. The aroma of a hamburger and fries fills the room, and it makes Hangyul’s stomach gurgle. He hasn’t eaten yet, and he’s regretting it. He’ll text Yohan to bring something when he gets here.

“Want some?”

Hangyul blinks and looks at Seungyoun, who’s holding out half of his burger. It looks so good, perfectly cooked, and those fries...But then Seungyoun gets his stupid smile back on his face, like he just _ knows _ Hangyul’s weak. 

And if there’s one thing Lee Hangyul is not, is weak.

“No, I’m fine,” Hangyul sniffs, turning his attention to the house liquor and sorting them in alphabetical order.

Seungyoun raises an eyebrow, but then shrugs his shoulders and takes a massive bite out of the burger.

_ Why did I say that. _

There’s immediate regret, especially when his stomach growls again, louder than before. He can feel his face flush, then deeper when he peeks up and Seungyoun’s holding out his burger again. 

Hangyul quickly grabs it. “Thanks…” he mumbles. He takes a bite and _ god, _ is it so good. 

Seungyoun smiles back. “You can make it up to me later in kisses.” 

Hangyul almost chokes.

It gives Seungyoun great joy, as he just laughs while he pulls out his phone. Hangyul can feel the blush still on his face, and he quickly scarfs down the burger as fast as he can, before returning to his original mission and grabbing some cleaner to scrape the gum off of the table. Anything is better than being near Seungyoun.

Said bane of his existence is quietly humming along to some music as he eats his burger, bopping in his seat in a way that Hangyul would call “cute” if it were anyone else. 

Not that, y’know, Seungyoun’s cute. At all.

He coughs to himself, quickly spraying the cleaner on the gum and picking at it with the knife. After a few minutes, the gum pops off the table, flying across the room and landing on the floor. Victory is sweet, and Hangyul drops the knife and throws his hands up in triumphant fists. 

He’s met with silence. Seungwoo must have gone backstage to start getting ready, and some of the other staff are buzzing around. It’s alright, Hangyul knows he’s a winner. He takes the cleaner back over to the bar, where Seungyoun’s still dancing in his seat.

The song sounds familiar. “What are you listening to?” Hangyul asks. 

“Michael Bublé, ‘Quando Quando Quando’.” Hangyul’s silence must have been offensive, because Seungyoun is gasping. _“Wait. _You _claim_ to know Michael Bublé, but not know ‘Quando Quando Quando’?” 

Hangyul blinks. “What?”

“It’s his best song!” Seungyoun clenches his chest. “And you _ dare _ call yourself a fan!”

“Now wait a minute-” Hangyul starts, but Seungyoun’s already turning himself around.

“The _ youth _ these days!” he cries out to the empty bar room. He turns his head back around. “I’m making you a playlist.” 

Hangyul rolls his eyes and grabs a few of Seungyoun’s fries. “You don’t have to make me a playlist.” 

“It’s my obligation as a respectable co-worker to make sure my proteges know good music.” 

“Sounds like I’m gonna owe you a lot of favors.”

Now Seungyoun laughs. “I’ll keep a tab running.” 

Hangyul does make the burger up to Seungyoun, in his dressing room.

“Hey-” 

Seungyoun doesn’t get another syllable out before Hangyul’s mouth is on his, slamming Seungyoun up against the door. 

_ “Fuck, _ hold on-” Seungyoun chokes out, but Hangyul’s already moving down his body, kissing his chest, his nipple, his gun tattoo, before dropping to his knees and opening Seungyoun’s pants. 

_____

“What smells so good?” Yohan calls into their apartment.

“I’m trying to make dakgalbi,” Hangyul calls back. It actually looks pretty good. Thank you, YouTube. He takes a piece of chicken out to make sure it’s cooked all the way, but it drops out of his chopsticks when Yohan throws his arms around Hangyul’s waist. 

“Have I ever told you how wonderful you are?” Yohan babbles, speaking as if Hangyul were a toddler. 

“Once or twice.” Hangyul picks up the piece of chicken and feeds it to Yohan. “How was your final?”

Yohan blows out some of the hot air. “Sucked. But I think I did fine.” It’s all mumbled with his mouth full. He chews the chicken then swallows, giving Hangyul a thumbs up. “One down, three to go.” 

Hangyul nods and turns the burner off. “You’re almost halfway there.” It sounds strange to say. Hangyul remembers when Yohan first told him he signed up for college. Hangyul thought he was nuts. It was hard enough to keep up with the night hours at _ Produce. _ How could Yohan balance college courses on top of it? But Yohan strapped down and started online classes, working his usual hours at night at the club and waking up in the early afternoon to do his work. The first semester was rough, but Hangyul made sure Yohan slept enough hours, made sure he ate. He even picked up some of Yohan’s hours at the club during his first finals week. Yohan came back the next week with straight As, and Seungwoo put his transcript up on the backstage wall at the club. 

Yohan brings some bowls over. “Have you thought any more about starting?”

Hangyul snorts, scooping the dakgalbi into the bowls. “I wouldn’t even know what to study.”

“I’ll still go halfsies with you on a taekwondo studio.” 

Hangyul chuckles, remembering the promise he and Yohan made back in middle school. He takes one of the bowls from Yohan and they both walk over to the couch, taking their usual seats and putting their feet up on their table. Yohan turns the TV on and they settle on watching reruns of _ Goblin. _

Hangyul’s halfway through dinner when Yohan bumps him on the shoulder. “You should think about it.”

“Finding myself a sugar daddy Goblin?”

Yohan bumps him again. _ “College. _You can do it.” He gives Hangyul a soft smile. “You can’t be a dancer for the rest of your life.”

Ouch. The reality that Hangyul’s been avoiding. 

He looks down at his food instead of answering.

_____

“We should do a set together.”

Hangyul’s not sure if Seungyoun actually said that, or if he hallucinated for a second. “Wha-” he starts, but can’t finish his thoughts because Seungyoun twists his wrists and Hangyul throws his head back against the couch. 

“C’mon. How hot would it be if you and I did a song together?” Seungyoun asks, as if he’s not naked and sitting on Hangyu’s lap, desperately fisting both of their cocks. “Something dark. Like vampires.”

Hangyul feels his toes begin to curl, and he fucks up into Seungyoun’s grasp. “We’re not, _ oh fuck, _ not talking about this now,” he moans. His reaches his hands to hold onto Seungyoun’s arms. _ “Shit.” _He’s going to come any second. 

Seungyoun knows it, because he leans down and licks a long stripe against Hangyul’s neck, moves his hands faster and Hangyul moans as he comes, feeling his release hit up his chest. Seungyoun follows after, and Hangyul gets an earful of his orgasm. 

The elder flops on top of Hangyul, leaning their chests together and smearing come on both of their bodies. Hangyul whines at the feeling and pokes Seungyoun in the stomach, making him jump. “Why'd ya do that…” Hangyul mumbles. 

“Big baby,” Seungyoun teases, but moves with wobbly legs to grab a towel. Hangyul doesn’t move, just waits with a smile as Seungyoun wipes him down. It has Seungyoun sighing. “One of these days I’m making your ass clean us up...” 

Hangyul just hums back. Seungyoun’s been saying that for a few weeks now. 

His lap gets occupied again, and Seungyoun pokes him in the cheek. “So anyway: You. Me. Set.”

“What makes you think I wanna do a set with you?” Hangyul yawns, stretching his arms over him. A nap is in his future. He can probably squeeze one in before he goes on in an hour. 

He gets another poke in his cheek. “‘Cause your hot, and I’m hot, and we’re great dancers who have great chemistry and people would love it,” Seungyoun claims. “Think of the tips we’d make!” 

“I think your exhibitionist kink is showing.”

Seungyoun laughs. _ “Shh, _ don’t give away the secret.” He climbs off Hangyul’s lap and takes the younger’s hand, pulling him up to stand. “But seriously, it’d be hot. We should do it.”

It’s kind of surprising how excited Seungyoun seems at the idea. Hangyul would have thought he’d be the last person Seungyoun would want to do a set with. But Seungyoun’s all smiles, and Hangyul can see the excitement in his eyes. He’s practically vibrating at the idea. Which, _ okay, _ is a pretty good one. He and Hangyul would make a great stage if they find a concept that fits. And it’d just be a few minutes anyway. A few dance moves, probably some flirtatious touching...

“Fine,” Hangyul agrees. “But no vampires.”

Seungyoun’s smile gets wider “No promises.”

_____

Yohan’s twin sisters come up to visit the next weekend, and Hangyul and Yohan take them out to lunch, then Seoul Grand Park. They talk about how Yohan’s family is doing, how school is, and how their college search process is going.

“I can’t believe you’re going to college soon,” Hangyul marvels. He’s known Hyunjin and Hyejin since they were born. It’s crazy to think they’ll be graduating from high school next year. 

“You’ll come to the ceremony, right?” Hyunjin asks. 

“Mom already said it was okay!” Hyejin agrees. 

Yohan laughs. “Give him some space.” When the girls move ahead of him, Yohan looks back and silently pleads. Hangyul rolls his eyes and pushes him along. 

Hyejin stops at one of the maps. “We have to visit Hangyul’s cousins at the Carnivore Encounter.” She looks over her shoulder. “And you’re wearing the tiger headband.”

Hangyul snorts. “Only if you put Yohan in the rabbit ears.”

“I already get bullied by my sisters, I don’t need my best friend bullying me!” Yohan calls as he breezes past them, power walking away. Hyejin and Hyunjin laugh and chase after him, and Hangyul follows behind, a fond smile appearing on his lips. 

He may not have a real family, but he’s glad this is what he’s got. 

The smile stays on his face as the group passes by the primate exhibition. The girls wave at the monkeys, and make Hangyul do the same. He plays along, waving at one of the monkeys. The monkey stares back, tilting its head. Then all of a sudden, it blows out its cheeks and Hangyul’s suddenly reminded of a certain co-worker. 

It has him laughing, because he’s seen Seungyoun make that face several times.

“What?” Yohan asks, looking back. 

Hangyul points to the monkey. “Seungyoun.” 

Yohan follows to where Hangyul’s pointing, and laughs when he sees the monkey. “It does,” he agrees. 

Hangyul takes out his phone and gets a picture. “I’m sending him this.” He knew it was a good idea to exchange numbers, even though it was supposed to be for coordinating their set. He’s still chuckling as he types in his phone, only pausing when he sees Yohan giving him a look. “What?”

Yohan shrugs. “Just strange texting the man you apparently despise.”

“I still hate him!” Hangyul assures. Of course he still hates Seungyoun. That will never change. “That’s why I’m sending him a text that he looks like a monkey.”

Yohan raises an eyebrow. “Remind me why you hate him.”

“He’s an idiot.”

“And yet you’re going to text him.”

That, Hangyul doesn’t answer. He wonders what Yohan would say if he knew Hangyul also has sex with him. He looks down at his phone, then back up at Yohan. “He looks like a monkey!” he whines, pointing to his phone. 

Said best friend doesn’t answer, just rolls his eyes and walks away. Hangyul frowns. Seriously, what’s Yohan not getting? It’s funny. So funny that Hangyul starts giggling again when he sends: _ Found your siblings today _along with the picture.

He’s two steps away when he gets a text back: _ Lee Hangyul, are you saying I look like monkeys??? _

_ You don’t see the resemblance?  
12:02PM _

_ The first text message you send me and it’s _ __  
_ that I look like a monkey ಠ_ಥ  
_ _ 12:03PM _

“What are you smiling about?” 

Hangyul nearly jumps at Hyunjin’s questions. She’s got a suspicious look on her face, and it draws Hyejin’s attention and another eye roll from Yohan. “Uh-” Hangyul quickly shuts his screen off. “Nothing.”

“Bullshit.”

“Language!” Yohan chides at Hyunjin. 

_____

“Okay so-” Seungyoun drops a piece of paper on Hangyul’s makeup table, and Hangyul nearly smears his eyeliner. “Here’s a list of songs we would kill.”

Hangyul puts the makeup down and picks up the list, looking it over. There’s almost fifty songs, most of which Hangyul has never heard of. “I don’t know most of these.” 

“Lucky for you, I always come prepared.” Seungyoun takes out his phone and taps on the screen. A few seconds later, Hangyul’s phone buzzes. “Now you have the playlist!”

Hangyul unlocks his phone and sees the text. “There’s two.”

“The other one is to expand your musical taste,” Seungyoun sniffs. He drags Wooseok’s chair over to sit next to Hangyul. Their thighs touch. “So, I’m thinking we decide on a concept, then pick a song from there. It’d be great if we can get something by the end of the month.” 

“No vampires,” Hangyul reminds him, picking his eyeliner back up and leaning into the mirror. He kind of wishes Wooseok was here - he’s got the steadiest hands.

“What do you have against the undead?” Seungyoun sighs. “I think we’d make great vampires.”

_ “You _ would,” Hangyul mumbles back, trying not to move his face too much. 

“Why? Because I’m so devilishly handsome?"

“More like you suck the life out of the entire room.” 

That earns him a smack on thigh, and he drops the eyeliner. “You’re so mean to me,” Seungyoun whines, sticking his tongue out. Hangyul sticks his tongue right back at him and goes for the eyeliner. Seungyoun grabs it before he can, and motions for Hangyul to turn towards him. “You’re going to poke your eye out,” he chides.

Hangyul gives a thankful smile before closing his eyes. Guess it’s another favor added to his tab. 

As Seungyoun works, Hangyul goes through some possible themes. What would he even look good doing? “What about a dark circus theme?” Hangyul suggests after a few seconds. 

Seungyoun pulls away from his eyes. “You just wanna see me in a top hat again.”

Yeah, actually. Hangyul does. 

Hangyul opens his eyes and Seungyoun looks thoughtfully at the makeup. “Good,” he decides, closing the eyeliner. 

“Thanks,” Hangyul says, and looks at himself in the mirror. Seungyoun did a good job. 

“Sexy,” Seungyoun comments again, looking at Hangyul through the mirror. His eyes are dark, and he licks his lips and _ oh- _

Hangyul swallows. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Seungyoun breathes, and Hangyul’s already in his lap. 

_____

Hangyul flops onto the couch, taking out his earbuds. He finally finished Seungyoun’s set playlist. All fifty songs. Some were good. Some were horrible and Seungyoun needs to get his ears checked. And there were a few that Hangyul really liked, and even started thinking about possible choreography. One song, “Bad Guy,” he’s particularly psyched about. He almost wishes he knew it for himself, but he has a few ideas for a duet.

He sighs, and looks at the time. It’s almost six, meaning it’s almost dinner. Hangyul’s stomach rumbles, but then he remembers that he and Yohan haven’t gone grocery shopping yet this week. So there’s no food. Guess he’s ordering Chinese takeout again.

He sighs again. He really doesn’t want to stay in on his night off. It’s a gorgeous night; the June heat is cooling down, and there’s a slight breeze in the air. But Yohan’s at class for the night, and besides him...Hangyul is fresh out of friends. 

It gets him thinking though - maybe Seungwoo’s available. Or Wooseok, if he’s not with his girlfriend.

He’s going through his contacts to find Seungwoo, when he passes a different name and stops.

_ Huh. _

Hangyul even wonders if Seungyoun would even answer. Is there some kind of rule about calling a fuck buddy? Are they even _ official _ fuck buddies? They never really talked about the whole sex thing. Were they supposed to? What if Seungyoun thinks he’s just calling for sex?

It’s all so confusing and Hangyul’s realizing he’s psyching himself out. He just wants some company for dinner. That’s it. Seungyoun should understand that, right?

He waits ten seconds before pressing the call button. 

“No, I didn’t take your gameboy from your dressing room,” is how Seungyoun answers.

“I wasn’t - wait-” Hangyul pauses, then shakes his head. “No, that’s not why I’m calling.”

“Oh.” Seungyoun sounds a bit relieved and Hangyul makes a mental note to ask about his gameboy tomorrow. “What’s up?”

“Do you wanna get something to eat?” Hangyul asks, biting his lip. 

There’s a pause on the other line. “What?”

“Do you want to get something to eat? Yohan’s at class and there’s no food in my house.”

Another pause. “You want to get food...with me?” Seungyoun parrots, slowly, like he’s trying to understand. 

“Um...yeah?” Hangyul laughs a bit. Oh _ fuck _ this is so awkward. Seungyoun doesn’t say anything and Hangyul feels his stomach sink. _ “Fuck, _sorry, this was dumb, sorry to-”

“No, no!” Seungyoun quickly says. “That sounds great. Let’s get some food.”

“Oh.” Hangyul blinks. “Cool.” That went over well. “Uh, how about the BBQ place by the club?”

“Sure! See you in twenty?”

Hangyul thinks this was a bad idea. 

He walks up to the restaurant and Seungyoun’s already there, giving him a wave. Hangyul waves back and they get a seat, and it’s then that Hangyul realizes that he’s sitting at a table with Seungyoun. There’s going to be eating. And probably talking. 

_ Fuck, _ what does Hangyul talk to Seungyoun about?

Hangyul sucks at small talk. Especially with Seungyoun. What do regular people talk about? The _ weather? _

“So did you listen to the songs?” Seungyoun asks, starting to put the meat on their grill.

_ Whew, _saved. Hangyul can answer that. “Yeah,” he nods, pouring them some soju. “I think we should do ‘Bad Guy’ or ‘Believers.’”

Seungyoun perks up. “Yes! I was thinking ‘Bad Guy!’ It’s the perfect amount of creepy.”

“The instrumentals would go well with a circus theme.”

“Or vampires,” Seungyoun shrugs, winking when Hangyul scowls. “Don’t count it out! You may love it.”

Hangyul sighs, handing him one of the shot glasses. “Fine, we’ll consider vampires.” 

Seungyoun beams. 

They take turns passing the scissors and tongs back and forth. Seungyoun starts talking about a new drama he’s watching, and Hangyul listens, re-filling their shot glasses as they go. He’s glad Seungyoun’s a natural chatterbox - they don’t have to do much thinking to keep anything from getting awkward. 

“So, doing anything fun later this month?”

“Nah,” Hangyul replies, taking some of the meat off the grill. “Just work.” 

“Really? No wild roommate adventures?”

“I _ wish,” _ Hangyul snorts. “But Yohan’s booked with school. He’s starting summer classes a week after his finals.” He blows on the meat before scarfing a piece down. _ Yum. _He loves the meat here. He takes another piece and moans at the taste. 

“Y’know, if I didn’t know what noises you made during orgasm, I'd bet you just creamed your pants.” 

Hangyul chokes. “S-shut up!” he hisses, looking around to see if anyone heard. Everyone seems preoccupied with their meal, _ thank god. _Seungyoun’s lucky.

Said devil is trying not to burst out laughing. “It’s not funny,” Hangyul mumbles, taking another piece of meat.

“A little,” Seungyoun wheezes. He takes a breath and picks up his shot glass. “I think you made the guy behind you hard, though,” he says, eyes motioning over Hangyul’s shoulder. 

Hangyul tries not to snort at the thought. He does, though, stretch his arms over his head and turns. The man sitting in the chair behind him has his back towards them, but Hangyul notices how red his ears are, and how his legs are fidgeting for a comfortable position under the table. 

Hangyul shrugs. “It’s a talent.”

“I know,” Seungyoun smiles back. 

_ Oh. _

Hangyul coughs and quickly takes a shot. Maybe this _ was _ a bad idea. He’s not drunk enough for Seungyoun. 

“So, when are we practicing our set?” Seungyoun asks, taking some more meat.

He’s going to end up regretting this. “Whenever you’re ready.” 

_____

“Whenever” apparently meant _ now _. 

“Front and center!” Seungyoun calls as soon as Hangyul walks through the club’s door. He grabs Hangyul by the arm and pulls him towards the stage. 

“W-wait-“ Hangyul tries, but Seungyoun is already taking his bag and throwing it on a chair. 

“Okay! So-” he leads Hangyul to a chair and sits him down. “Here’s what I’m thinking.” He runs over to the left side of the stage. “Each it is are on one side of the stage. The first two verses are split and each of us does a solo.” He runs back to the center. “Then when the beat drops, we move to the center.” He’s got signature smile on, and Hangyul thinks he needs sunglasses. “I’m also envisioning streamers and glitter bombs.” 

Hangyul feels a bit whip lashed. “Woah, okay, so-”

“You still have those black ripped jeans?”

_ “Seungyoun!” _Hangyul laughs, leaning over and taking Seungyoun’s hands. “Slow down.” 

Seungyoun whines a bit, a full pout appearing on his lips. Hangyul sticks his tongue out and chuckles again. “Start from the beginning.”

_____

I know it’s your day off, and  
I’m sorry, but you don’t have any  
extra glitter in your dressing  
room do you?  
10:49PM

Yeah, probably. Why?  
10:51PM

Wooseok’s out.  
10:52PM

WAIT YOUR TEXTING FOR WOOSEOK AHAHAHA  
10:52PM

LOOK I’M DESPERATE. He and Chaeyeon  
had a fight, so he was already in a bad mood,  
then his glitter ran out and I think he’s crying now.  
I don’t know, I just need to find glitter  
10:54PM

Tell him to man up and text me himself.  
10:55PM

SEUNGYOUN   
10:55PM

Kidding ಠ‿↼ The door’s open, black box on the  
bookshelf. I think I have silver and gold.  
It’s getting added to your list of favors (¬‿¬)  
10:57PM

Sure, sure THANK YOU  
10:58PM

_____

“So you’re doing _ what _ with Seungyoun?” Yohan asks, flopping down in one of the backstage chairs. 

Hangyul hands him a water bottle. “Doing a joint stage.”

Yohan takes the bottle and shrugs. “That sounds fun.” He motions to the stage where Seungwoo is performing. “Maybe I should do one with Seungwoo.”

“You know he’ll say yes if you do ‘Seniorita.’” Hangyul catches the eye of one of the stagehands, who gives him a five minute warning. He nods back. “But yeah, I think it’ll be fun.”

Yohan hums in reply, taking a large gulp of water. “So are you two...good now?”

Hangyul almost snorts. _ “No, _ no. He’s just…” His voice trails off, trying to think of the right word. Is the passionate hatred still there? Yes. But does Hangyul feel like pulling his hair out every time Seungyoun comes around? Not so much anymore. “He’s...bearable now.”

_ “Bearable,” _Yohan repeats, tone laced with skepticism. 

“What?”

“I just think it’s a funny turn of events. You claim to hate Seungyoun with your entire being, start texting him, and are now doing a duet with him.” His best friend shrugs. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

_ Shit, _ does Yohan know about the sex? “Uh, n-no?” Hangyul wonders if he’s sweating, and tries to play off his nerves with a laugh. “I’m doing it for the tips.”

Yohan keeps giving him a look, like he just knows Hangyul’s full of shit.

Hangyul is definitely revoking Yohan’s best friend privileges.

_____

Okay serious question:   
Do you think I’d rock blonde hair?  
4:10AM

Seungyoun, it’s 4 in the morning.  
4:19AM

Okay, it’s 4 in the morning, do   
You think I’d rock blonde hair?  
4:19AM

Oh my god.  
4:20AM

I’m thinking I could  
4:22AM

I’m going back to sleep  
4:23AM

Okay but what kind of blonde?  
Are we talking regular blonde or piss blonde?  
4:43AM

Not piss blonde.  
Like….G-Dragon ‘Crooked’ era  
4:45AM

I was 13 when they came out   
I don’t remember what he looked like  
4:47AM

Sorry I just had an existential crisis  
4:56AM

At what? Lol  
4:57AM

At you being 13 when ‘Crooked’ came out.  
I just turned 17.   
Oh my god.  
OH MY GOD  
4:58AM

Well, my Birthday’s in December, so I would   
Have been 14 that year.  
5:00AM

Still doesn’t help.  
BUT YOU DIDN’T ANSWER THE QUESTION  
5:01AM

YES MY GOD YOU’D LOOK GOOD  
IN ANY HAIR COLOR  
NOW CAN I GO TO SLEEP  
5:03AM

(◕‿◕✿)  
5:04AM

Wait, you’re not gonna show up tomorrow blonde  
Are you?  
5:17AM

And what about it?  
5:18AM

SEUNGYOUN  
5:19AM

_____

“This isn’t gonna work.”

“I think it’s working,” Hangyul offers from the right side of the stage. He looks over to Wooseok, who’s sitting at one of the tables. “Can you start it again?”

Wooseok doesn’t look up from his phone, but gives Hangyul a thumbs up. The music starts again and Hangyul begins moving. 

“So if I’m doing this now…” he shouts over the music, then stops after the first verse. “Now you go-“ 

A still black-haired Seungyoun wiggles, offbeat and ridiculous, and Hangyul tries not to laugh. Seungyoun wiggles until the verse ends, and the pre-chorus kicks in.

“Okay, so if we time this part right-“ Hangyul starts moving slowly towards the center, pretending to grab some money and taking some time to dance. “And then we end here together.” Hangyul hops to the center, right as the beat drops. 

Seungyoun cocks his head, thoughtful. “It’d have to be timed just right…”

“It looks good from here!” Seungwoo calls from the bar. 

Hangyul looks back at Seungyoun. “Whatcha think? I do the first verse, you do the second. Then on the second go around, you can go first and I’ll go second. Then I can choreograph my part, you do yours, then we just need to figure out where to go for the center.”

Seungyoun’s nodding along, looking around the stage. “Sounds good.” He gives Hangyul a smile. “Well, I think that’s enough practice for one day.”

“Good, because I need to set up for my stage,” Wooseok says, standing up from the table. 

Hangyul rolls his eyes, but jumps off the stage, grabbing a water bottle off the table. 

“Okay so-” Hangyul nearly chokes when Seungyoun slaps him on the back. “This is what I’m thinking.” Seungyoun puts his phone in front of Hangyul’s face. “Blonde with an undercut.”

Hangyul wheezes for a few seconds, swatting at Seungyoun’s face while he catches his breath. 

Seungyoun is not deterred. “I think I could pull it off,” he continues, absentmindedly swatting back at Hangyul’s hands. “My friend owns a salon in Hongdae. If he’s speaking to me by the time I want to get my hair done, it’ll look great.” 

Hangyul takes a deep breath when he’s able to swallow the water. “I - _ wheeze _ \- hate you.” All he gets is a pat on the cheek.

“And for you-”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Hangyul interrupts, holding out his hands. “I’m _ not _ dying my hair.”

“Why? You’d look great as a blonde.” Seungyoun starts tapping his phone screen. “Not ‘Crooked’ blonde, though. I’m thinking more of a honey. It’ll go great with your coloring.” 

Hangyul’s not even sure what kind of coloring he has, let alone what hair color would go _ good _ with it. Plus, he has flashbacks from that one time in high school Yohan wanted to dye his hair brown and it ended up pink. “I’m _ not _ dying my hair.”

“You said the same thing about vampires, and look where that ended up,” Seungyoun tosses back.

“B-but...I didn’t agree to that either!” 

Seungyoun bops his nose. 

_____

[VID ATTACHED]  
What do you think?  
12:01PM

Those pants look amazing on you  
12:03PM

On the dance you perv.  
12:04PM

Lol  
Nah, looks great!!! You’re a really great  
Dancer.  
12:07

Thanks. You’re pretty good yourself.  
12:09PM

Only pretty good??? Excuse me.  
I see you watching me. I’m mesmerizing.   
12:10PM

Eh.  
12:11PM

ಥ_ಥ  
12:12PM

Kidding ;)  
12:14PM

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧  
12:15PM

_____

“I think we could actually do this,” Hangyul wheezes from where he’s lying on the stage floor. 

Next to him, Seungyoun groans in agreement. “But we’re not doing the flips. I almost cracked my head open.”

“Yeah, I think Seungwoo will have a heart attack if we did it with the lights off.”

Seungyoun laughs a bit. “Did you see his face?”

“I thought he was going to strangle you after the second flip.”

“Hey, I had to make sure I _couldn’t_ do it.”

Now Hangyul laughs. “You’re an idiot.” There’s no real bite to his words, and he’s okay with that. He and Seungyoun nearly finished their dance, and it looks great. He’s actually excited to see what it will look like with the light displays Wooseok suggested. This place will turn into a _real_ club, not just for watching strippers.

“Time’s up you two! We open in an hour!” calls Eunyoung, the bartender. 

Hangyul waves at her, not even getting up from where he’s lying. “Can’t move,” he whines.

“On the count of three,” Seungyoun says, finding Hangyul’s hand. On _three,_ Seungyoun pulls them both up into a sitting position. Hangyul decides to keep falling forward, tipping over and plopping back down on Seungyoun’s legs. “You’re such a _baby,”_ Seungyoun sighs, poking Hangyul in the stomach. 

Hangyul does not refute that statement. 

Something crashes at the bar, and both Seungyoun and Hangyul jump at the sound of broken glass. Eunyoun’s over the recycle bin, a bottle in hand. “If you’re not off that stage in ten seconds-”

They’re off the floor in seconds, running off backstage. You don’t mess with Eunyoung.

Once there, Seungyoun smacks Hangyul on the ass. “Well, a few more practices and we’ll be ready!”

Hangyul smacks his hand, but nods and fishes out his phone from his bag. He’s got a few hours before he’s on. Maybe he’ll practice the set before he goes on. Or nap. That sounds great, too. He picks up his bag from the stage and walks back into the wings, only to have Seungyoun jump in front of him with a bright smile. “You doing anything after work?”

“Uh-” Hangyul racks his brain quick - Yohan just has class tomorrow morning, and maybe he would go grocery shopping. “Don’t think so?” 

“Good,” Seungyoun beams. “We’re going to a noraebang.” 

Hangyul blinks. “I am _not_ going to a noraebang.”

They go to a noraebang. Seungyoun grabs Hangyul as soon as 2AM hits, and takes him, Seungwoo, Wooseok, and a few others to a brightly lit noraebang just down the street. They order soju and snacks, and spend the next hour belting out random songs the machine produces. Hangyul was originally regretting getting dragged into this, but within the first ten minutes he’s crying from laughing. 

Seungwoo keeps getting passed the microphone whenever a high note comes, and he screeches out these impossible notes that have Seungyoun throwing food at him. Wooseok’s random shuffle puts on AOA’s “Like a Cat” and Hangyul think he’s going to laugh up a lung. One of the new dancers, Kookheon, gets so drunk he forgets how to read Korean, and instead just dances on the table in the room. And Seungyoun at one point gets too enthusiastic about a Twice song, and nearly trips over said table. Hangyul catches him by a belt loop and pulls him back, and Seunyoun plops right into his laugh. They both laugh, and Hangyul half expects Seungyoun to start grinding his hips down, because that’s usually what happens when they find themselves in compromising situations.

But instead, Seungyoun leans back, dropping his head on Hangyul’s shoulder and keeps singing, smiling and laughing as he tries to reach the high notes. Hangyul laughs harder and tries to out-do him, screaming into _his_ microphone, which makes _Seungyoun_ laugh harder, and soon the singing is forgotten and they’re just laughing at each other. Wooseok takes their microphones away. 

Hangyul doesn’t remember the last time he laughed this hard; his face is starting to hurt.

He also doesn’t remember the last time he’s drunk this much.

“I think-” He hiccups, and prays nothing else comes up. “-I’m drunk.”

“You shouldn’t have had that last shot,” Seungyoun brightly agrees, holding Hangyul’s waist tighter. They’ve said their goodbyes to the others, with Seungyoun promising Seungwoo that Hangyul will get home okay. He’s now leading them along the streets, making sure Hangyul doesn’t collapse. “Want me to call Yohan?”

“Nah, he’s got class in-” Hangyul reaches for his phone and squints at the time. “-three hours.” He sighs, and stuffs his phone back in his pants pocket. “I’ll get a taxi.”

The grip on his waist tightens. “It’s four in the morning, I’m not putting you in a taxi,” Seungyoun grumbles. 

_“Aw, _you’re so sweet,” Hangyul giggles, rubbing his head against Seungyoun’s shoulder. His giggles get louder when Seungyoun hand reaches up and pats him on the head like he’s a puppy. He’s glad Yohan’s not here - Hangyul turns into an affectionate drunk, and he just knows Yohan would be giving him _looks_ right now.

When they get to the main street, Seungyoun sighs and looks uncertain about what to do next. Hangyul stands up straighter and tries stepping away from Seungyoun. “I’ll be fine, I just-” 

The world starts spinning and Hangyul goes down, almost fumbling to the ground, if not for a surprising strong set of arms and solid chest. Hangyul whines into said chest. “I’m drunk.”

“Okay, you’re not going anywhere,” Seungyoun decides. He maneuvers Hangyul back to his side and throws his arm over Seungyoun’s shoulders. “How does a sleepover sound? I’m three blocks away.”

“That’s how you get _murdered,”_ is Hangyul’s smart reply. You get murdered by going to a stranger's house, and Hangyul doesn’t want to get murdered.

“No murders tonight,” Seungyoun replies with a smile. He wraps his arm around Hangyul’s waist again and starts walking. “Just another favor you owe me.”

Hangyul groans. He slumps back into Seungyoun’s body, and lets the older drag him along a few blocks to Seungyoun’s apartment. The stairs are a bit tricky. Hangyul nearly slips right onto his face, but Seungyoun’s able to get him to crawl up the last few stairs as a precaution. “You owe me ten favors for this…” he grumbles, but Hangyul just giggles at him. This is kinda fun.

The world is starting to blur now, and Hangyul really hopes he doesn’t get sick. How embarrassing would that be, puking all over Seungyoun’s apartment? Luckily, Seungyoun is quick to lead Hangyul right to his bed, gently laying him down. 

“Want to get your clothes off?” Seungyoun asks.

Hangyul giggles a bit and holds out a leg. “Yes, please.” 

Seungyoun is gentle as he removes Hangyul’s socks and pants. Hangyul whines when Seungyoun makes him sit up to remove his shirt, but he honestly feels much better now that the lingering smell of alcohol and sweat is gone. He flops back down onto the bed and wiggles around, trying to find a comfortable position. The giggles come back when Seungyoun returns and Hangyul realizes he’s in Seungyoun’s bed in only his underwear. 

He brings one of his legs up and puts in arm behind his head. “Hey.”

Seungyoun snorts. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

Hangyul shifts a bit more to his side. “Is it working?”

“You’re drunk,” Seungyoun replies, walking over and handing Hangyul a water bottle.

“I know,” Hangyul sighs, flopping back over so he can drink easier. “I don’t even think I can get up, anyway.”

There’s a pat on his head. “Good, because it wasn’t gonna happen.” Seungyoun takes the water bottle when Hangyul’s done and puts it down on the dresser next to the bed. 

The sober part of Hangyul’s mind tells him it’s really sweet Seungyoun is mindful of his state and doesn’t want to do anything. The drunk part is pissed because Hangyul would love to fuck Seungyoun right now. The room smells overwhelmingly like the cologne Seungyoun uses, the one that’s a bit musky, but also slightly sweet. It drives Hangyul crazy on a normal day, and drunk Hangyul’s world is already spinning - the scent just makes things worse. 

He groans again, rolling over into the pillow and taking a deep breath. Fuck Seungyoun and smelling so good. 

The good news is, Hangyul didn’t die last night.

He does, though, wake up in a puddle of his own drool. 

He blinks awake, cursing at the sun for shining so brightly this morning. Memories of the night before slowly come back - the bar, the noraebang, the alcohol - and Hangyul is definitely never drinking soju again. He gives himself a few seconds to check if he still has all ten toes, both arms, and his stomach. Everything feels fine, even his head. The room has also stopped spinning, which is a good sign. 

He sighs, stretching out in the bed, and looking around. He’s momentarily confused about the _ Adventure Time _ sheets he drooled on, but then remembers: Seungyoun.

Oh.

Hangyul slept over Seungyoun’s. 

_ Fuck, _ that’s definitely against fuck buddy rules. Should Hangyul just leave? That’s what fuck buddies do, right? But they didn’t have sex last night, so does that count? 

Hangyul wished he had his phone so he could look up some sort of guidebook on fuck buddies, but the last time he saw it was in his pants, which are now lying across the back of a chair on the other side of the room. Well, he has to piss anyway, might as well get up.

He’s really glad he looked down first, or else Seungyoun would have gotten a foot in his face. 

Hangyul startles, then groans when he wacks his hand against the bedside dresser. He wasn’t expecting Seungyoun to be sleeping next to the bed. Seungyoun’s on a floor mattress, curled up in a ball and gently snoring. He’s so far buried in blankets that only the top of his head is visible.

Oh god. He looks _ cute. _

Hangyul scowls. How _ dare _Seungyoun have the audacity to look cute.

The scowl stays on his face as he tip toes over Seungyoun and out of the bedroom. Now that the alcohol’s wore off, Hangyul can poke around a bit. 

Seungyoun’s apartment is small, but Hangyul expected that. It’s really just the bedroom, a small bathroom, and what looks like the kitchen and living area all in one, open space. Hangyul makes a quick duck into the bathroom before exploring the living area. There’s a small couch and television, tons of posters hanging up of music artists, what looks like a guitar case in one corner of the room, and six - _ six! _\- potted plants on the window ledge. 

Wow. Now Hangyul understood why Seungyoun was so particular about his plants. 

“Oh good, I thought you left.”

Hangyul _ shrieks, _ whipping around and flailing his arms in the air in defense. It’s just a shirtless Seungyoun, brushing his teeth and waving at Hangyul. 

Hangyul thinks he lost ten years of his life. _ “Don’t-” _ he sucks in a breath, holding on to his chest. _ “-do that!” _

“Sorry,” Seungyoun chuckles, not looking the least bit sorry. He puts his toothbrush down on the kitchen counter and walks over to Hangyul. “How do you feel?”

It’s a bit distracting to answer, especially with Seungyoun not wearing a shirt. “F-fine,” he manages to get out, trying hard not to stare and Seungyoun’s chest. 

Seungyoun smiles. “That’s good!” His eyes flick behind Hangyul, and his smile gets bigger. “Oh, meet my plant family!” He takes Hangyul’s hand and leads him over to the window. “Ta-dah!”

Up close, Hangyul can see that the plants are all a bit different. One of them is huge, with long vines spilling out of the pot and onto the ground. Hangyul squints at the pots. “You named your plants?” Each pot has a name written on it, and a different doodle. 

“Of course!” Seungyoun points to the plant all the way on the left. “That’s Junho, then Minhee, the small one is Dongpyo, the one with the red flowers is Eunsang, then Hyeongjun, and this big buy is Dohyon!”

_ Fuck. _

It’s so _ cute. _

He’s so animated about his plants, all smiles and excited gestures, and he’s _ still _not wearing a shirt, and Hangyul can’t stop looking at him with a smile on his face. 

And that’s when Hangyul thinks it’s time to go.

He coughs, quickly straightening up. “Well, uh…” He takes a few steps back. “I should get going.” 

Seungyoun turns to him and frowns. “You can stay longer if you want. I’m not kicking you out.” 

“Uh-”

Seungyoun walks towards Hangyul and motions to the refrigerator. “Do you want something to eat? A shower?”

“No! No,” Hangyul shakes his head. “I already slept in your bed and-” 

_ “Hangyul,” _ Seungyoun laughs, bopping Hangyul in the nose. “It’s _ fine.” _

Hangyul almost blurts something about fuck buddy rules and not overstaying welcomes, but stops himself just before any sound comes out. Now might not be the best time to check with Seungyoun about proper “enemies who sleep with each other” etiquette.

So he goes with: “I just…have some stuff to do before work.”

Even he doesn’t believe his own bullshit, and neither does Seungyoun judging by the look he’s giving Hangyul. But after a few seconds, Seungyoun just smiles. “You can go if you want, but you’re not a bother.”

That makes Hangyul feel better. “Thanks,” he says. He feels a bit bad about bolting, but something’s telling him he should leave. That, and it’s getting a bit cold without any clothes on. “I’m gonna…” He starts walking back towards Seungyoun’s room. “Go put my clothes back on.”

Seungyoun snorts and waves him off. Hangyul gives him an awkward thumbs up, and turns to run back to the room. “Can you just...” Hangyul turns back to face Seungyoun. “Can you just text me when you get to your place?” Seungyoun asks.

“Oh.” That’s easy enough. “Okay.” He takes two more steps before turning around again. “Are we still practicing tonight?” 

Seungyoun’s face lights up. “6PM. _ Sharp.” _

_____

Did I leave my jacket at your apartment?  
3:09PM

[Img Attached]  
It’s mine now (◕‿◕✿)  
3:15PM

Can you bring it to work tonight?  
WAIT DON’T YOU MIGHT STRETCH IT OUT  
3:18PM

ARE YOU CALLING ME FAT????  
3:19PM

NO YOUR SHOULDERS ARE BIGGER THAN MINE  
3:21PM

Are they really???  
3:22PM

I think so???  
3:24PM

DAMN LOOK AT ME GO  
3:25PM

Jacket. Work. Please?  
3:29PM

But it’s so warm ಥ_ಥ

3:30PM

SEUNGYOUN   
3:30PM

_____

It’s a busy night, but that’s how Hangyul likes it.

The crowd is loud and rambunctious, hollering and slamming their fists on the tables when Hangyul unbuttons his shirt. He leaves it on for now; a taste of what’s to come. 

He feels a bit daring tonight. He’s performing a new routine, a dark rock song that was on the playlist Seungyoun gave him. He’s not dancing as much, choosing to have the audience focus on his expressions, how his hips move against the pole, how he runs a hand down his body oh so close to his groin. It’s getting a great reaction, and Hangyul’s pockets are already stuffed full. He even let one of the patrons slip a bill right into his pants, fingers brushing against his bare skin. 

In the final few bars of the song, Hangyul completely sheds his shirt. The club goes berserk, volume only getting higher once Hangyul ends his stage. The spotlight shines down on him, and he spends a few seconds soaking up the attention.

He loves being on stage.

“Let’s hear it for the sexiest man on stage, Hangyul!” Yohan shouts into the microphone. He’s MCing tonight. He was a bit worried at first, but he’s doing a great job. The crowd loves him. 

Hangyul takes his final bow and fishes for more won. On his way back, Yohan slips a loose bill down the front of his pants. The bar screams for more, while Hangyul just laughs. He smacks Yohan’s ass before leaving, laughing again as Yohan informs the crowd “I’ve known him for fifteen years, I can do that.”

“That was great!” Seungwoo tells him as soon as he gets backstage. He hands Hangyul a much appreciated towel. “I think that was your best performance yet.”

“You gave me some great pointers,” Hangyul tosses back. He feels proud though - that _ was _a great performance. 

Seungwoo ruffles his hair. “You didn’t need any of my help. I just told you everything looked great.” From the stage, Yohan calls his name, and Seungwoo gives Hangyul a goofy salute before heading out for his set.

It has Hangyul chuckling. Seungwoo’s such a dork. 

Yohan comes back to the wings and hops off the stage, taking a seat next to Hangyul and putting his head between his legs._ “Oh my God, this is so stressful,” _he moans.

Hangyul snorts and rubs his back. “You’re doing great.”

Yohan looks up at him, deadpan. “I almost told the audience to _ dick _ their favorite performer instead of _ pick _.” 

“Well, you’re not completely wrong.”

Yohan shoves Hangyul’s shoulder, making Hangyul laugh. Yohan sticks his tongue out, but something over Hangyul’s shoulder catches his attention. “Speaking of which...” He motions behind Hangyul.

Hangyul looks back and sees Seungyoun, leaning against the hallway and talking to a few staff members. It takes Hangyul a few seconds to get the joke, and when he does, he feels his face heat up. _ “Shut up,” _ he hisses back to Yohan, smacking _ him _in the shoulder. 

Yohan definitely knows about the sex. 

Hangyul’s going to throw himself in front of a bus.

He doesn’t even look back at Yohan before he takes his towel and what’s left of his pride past Seungyoun and down the hall to his dressing room. Thankfully, Wooseok isn't there. He throws his towel and discarded shirt on his makeup table. 

When he looks in the mirror, Seungyoun is closing the door behind him.

“That was from my playlist,” he says, a proud smile on his face.

“Yeah,” Hangyul answers, already biting his lip. “Guess I need to listen to more Imagine Dragons.” 

Seungyoun hums in agreement, sauntering over towards Hangyul. He looks predatory in his dark makeup, and he’s still got his performance outfit on - a large dress shirt with a deep v neck, and tight pants. 

Hangyul gulps, turning his body to face Seungyoun. “Did you like my dance?”

Seungyoun stops right in front of him, their noses almost touching. “It was pretty good,” he shrugs, casual. 

_ “Just _ pretty good?” Hangyul jokes back, remembering their texts. 

Seungyoun shrugs again, a playful glint in his eye, and Hangyul can’t help but lean the rest of the way in. He pulls Seungyoun by the waist, gripping his hips as he kisses the elder, and Seungyoun lets him. He sighs into the kiss, bringing a hand up to card through Hangyul’s hair while the other brushes against Hangyul’s neck. It’s been a while since they’ve fooled around, and Hangyul can feel his body warming under Seungyoun’s touch. He slowly slots their hips together, and that’s when Seungyoun breaks the kiss. “Not so fast, tiger,” he laughs. “I’m backing the bar tonight.”

Hangyul blinks. 

Seungyoun keeps laughing. “You’ll need to catch me some other time,” he purrs, nuzzling Hangyul’s ear as he speaks.

That doesn’t make things better. Hangyul shivers at Seungyoun’s tone, but he’s already pulling away and out of Hangyul’s grasp. It’s not like Seungyoun to miss a chance for _ something. _Hangyul can feel the deep pout form on his lips, and it does nothing to change Seungyoun’s mind. He does get a quick peck, but that’s it. 

“Wanna get some ramen after your shift?” Seungyoun asks, fixing his pants a bit.

Hangyul only pouts harder. 

Seungyoun rolls his eyes. “I’ll meet you out in front at 2.”

_____

Guess who got their outfit for the set!!!  
7:32PM

Great, can I see it? I still need to coordinate  
7:36PM

No (¬‿¬)  
It’s a surprise (¬‿¬)  
7:38PM

???????  
Okay can you at least tell me the color?  
7:40PM

All black   
Like my soul   
(•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■)  
7:42PM

Your soul would literally be hot pink  
But okay. I can work with black.  
7:43PM

I’d rock hot pink, fyi  
Maybe I’ll dye my hair pink  
7:46PM

I dare you.  
7:47PM

Done.  
7:49PM

[IMG Attached]  
8:34PM

SEUNGYOUN NO  
8:35PM

_____

Hangyul pops his head over the couch. “And where are _ you _ going?”

Yohan sticks his tongue out as we puts on his shoes. “I have a date.”

Hangyul nearly falls off the couch. _ “Date?” _ Yohan as a date? And didn’t even _ tell _him? 

“Yeah, with a guy from class.” Yohan straightens up and checks his hair in the mirror next to the door. “He asked me last week.”

“You have a _ date?” _ Hangyul says again, mouth hanging open. He probably looks like a fish, but he can’t bring himself to care. Yohan. _ His _ Yohan. Has a _ date. _ “Like a _ date _ date?

Yohan stops fussing with his hair and looks at Hangyul through the mirror. “Why’s that so surprising?” He sounds a bit irritated now. 

“You just...” 

Actually, why is Hangyul so surprised? Yohan’s hot. That’s no secret. And he’s the nicest person Hangyul has ever met. He’d be a catch for any guy. But still…

_ A date? _

“Just because you’re afraid of relationships doesn’t mean I have to be,” Yohan grumbles. 

Ouch. Hangyul hates it when Yohan uses logic against him.

After a few seconds, Yohan’s eyes soften through the mirror. “He’s a nice guy. You’d like him.” He picks up his backpack. “I’ll be back before work, you have my number, and I’m just going to the cafe by campus.”

“But-”

Yohan opens the door and sighs. “Ask Seungyoun to do something with you before work. I know he’d love to.”

Now Hangyul’s frowning. “What the hell does-”

_ “Goodbye, Hangyul!” _Yohan slams the door shut.

What the fuck.

Did Yohan just slam the door on him?

Hangyul is frozen on the couch, mind reeling. Yohan’s going on a date. Hangyul doesn’t remember the last time Yohan’s gone out with anyone. He also never told Hangyul about being interested in anyone. Isn't that what best friends are supposed to do? 

Also what the fuck was that about _ Seungyoun? _Why would Yohan suggest Hangyul ask him to do something when-

Hangyul pales. _ Oh god, he’s talking about the sex. _

Is that why Yohan didn’t tell him about the date? He’s ashamed that Hangyul's sleeping with Seungyoun and never told him and kept it from him and Yohan no longer wants to associate with a slut?

Hangyul shakes his head. Nah, Yohan wouldn’t do that. But he would be a little shit and tease Hangyul about it. 

_ Well, fuck you, Yohan. _

Hangyul _ humphs _ and flops down on the couch. He doesn’t need Yohan or Seungyoun around for a good time. He’s perfectly capable of having his own fun, thank you very much. He’ll have a great night in. Take _ that _Yohan. 

He lasts about ten minutes watching reruns of _ Inkigayo _before he picks up his phone.

“Hey. Are you doing anything right now?”

_____

“I can’t _ believe _ he’s on a date!”

“Sit down, your food’s going to get cold,” A not-pinked haired Seungyoun mumbles, picking up another piece of chicken. 

“He hasn’t dated since _ high school!” _ Hangyul laments, still pacing around Seungyoun's apartment (at one point he bumps into Dohyon, to which Seungyoun said he had to say sorry). 

Seungyoun gets up from his couch and takes Hangyul by the shoulders, walking him to the couch and sitting him down. “So what if he’s going on a date?” He hands Hangyul chopsticks and puts a plate of fried chicken in his lap. “A date isn’t that serious.”

Hangyul groans. “I know but…” His voice trails off when he runs out of things to say. It’s not that serious. Just one date. But one date leads to two, then three, then _ date-ing, _ and then there’s _ feelings _ and then - 

Seungyoun plops down next to him on the couch. “He’ll still be your friend, even if he dates.”

“I know _ that,” _ Hangyul sighs, looking down at his plate and pushing the chicken around. “That’s not what I’m worried about...” He trails off again, shaking his head. This is stupid. He came here to get some late lunch and watch _ The Avengers, _ maybe fall asleep before work; not cry about his worries to Seungyoun. Seungyoun probably doesn’t even care - he’s just being nice and asking.

Speaking of which, he’s been rather quiet. Hangyul looks over at him, and is almost surprised to see a serious look on the elder’s face. He blinks. “What?”

Seungyoun doesn’t answer right away. He stares at Hangyul for a few seconds, before reaching over and picking up a piece of chicken from Hangyul’s plate. “It’ll be _ fine,” _he says, holding the chicken out for Hangyul. “And he’s got you to look after him, right?” 

Hangyul looks at the chicken, then sighs. “Yeah…” he mumbles. It’s true. He’s going to let anything bad happen to Yohan. They’ve had each other’s backs forever. That won’t change. Hangyul gives Seungyoun an appreciative smile before eating the chicken off his chopsticks. 

Seungyoun smiles back. “Okay, it’s movie time!”

They settle in to the couch and Seungyoun starts the movie. It’s a good distraction, especially when Seungyoun makes light conversation throughout. At one point, he sighs. “Captain America can bend me over a table any day of the week.”

Hangyul nearly chokes, but also shares the sentiment. “Him or Iron Man, I’m game,” he agrees, coughing. “Or Thor.” 

“But only _ Ragnarok _Thor.”

Hangyul laughs back. “Definitely.”

After about a minute of silence, Seungyoun asks, “Lee Dongwook or Gong Yoo?”

Hangyul raises an eyebrow. “What do-”

“Just choose!”

Unbelievable, right when Thor’s coming to Earth. “Uh…Gong Yoo,” he answers. 

Seungyoun scowls. “Really? Over Lee Dongwook?”

“What do you have against Gong Yoo?” 

“Nothing. He’s just not Lee Dongwook.”

“Okay then: Lee Dongwook or Captain America.”

Seungyoun gasps, putting a hand over his heart. “Don’t do that to me!” he dramatically cries, hanging himself over the side of the couch.

Hangyul shrugs. “Gotta choose one.”

Seungyoun sticks his tongue out. “Well, are we talking marriage for life or a one night stand kind of deal?” 

“Does that matter?” Hangyul teases, poking Seungyoun in the stomach with one of his chopsticks. 

“Well, _yeah.”_ He leans back up and sits forward, focused. “Lee Dongwook is only human. I’ve got ten minutes tops with him in bed.” He points to the TV. “Now Captain America - he’s _super _human. He could probably go ten hours and not be tired.” 

Hangyul tries not to snort out laughing. “I think you’re thinking too much into this.”

“Hey, these are the questions you’ve got to ask yourself.” Seungyoun shifts a bit so he’s sitting closer to Hangyul. “And what about you?” He bumps Hangyul’s shoulder. “Gong Yoo or Iron Man?” 

“Gong Yoo,” Hangyul answers immediately, a slight smile on his face. “Iron Man's only alive for a few more movies.” 

Seungyoun snorts, then gives Hangyul a sad frown. “It’s still too soon…”

That has Hangyul laughing. “Okay, then what about Lee Dongwook or...Song Joongki?” 

“Still Lee Dongwook. I was never a big Joongki fan.” 

“Kim Soohyun?” 

“Still Dongwook.” 

“Jeez,” Hangyul chuckles again. “Is there anyone you’d choose over Dongwook?” 

For the second time that day, Seungyoun’s silent. Hangyul briefly wonders if he didn’t hear him, so he starts to ask again, but Seungyoun loudly yawns. _“Maybe,”_ he says, stretching his body and lying vertical on the couch. He sticks his legs out and puts them across Hangyul’s lap, almost knocking the plate out of Hangyul’s hands. 

Hangyul raises an eyebrow. “That’s it?” 

“Yep,” Seungyoun replies, making a popping sound with his mouth. 

_Well then. _

Hangyul rolls his eyes, then tickles Seungyoun’s feet. The shriek Seungyoun lets out is satisfying, and he withdraws his legs from Hangyul’s lap. They both get sucked back into the movie, but the silence has Hangyul’s mind wandering again. 

“What if he gets hurt?” 

Seungyoun leans up, an eyebrow raised. “You _have _seen _Avengers, _right?” 

“No, not Iron Man. _Yohan.”_

Seungyoun blinks, and Hangyul mentally hits himself for bringing Yohan back up. He’s about to tell Seungyoun to forget about it, but Seungyoun’s eyes go soft. “Not everyone is out to hurt people, Hangyul,” he says. He leans back down and rolls to his side. “You shouldn’t be afraid just because something _might _happen. Don’t let that hold you back from being happy.” Seungyoun is silent for a few seconds, then lets out a breathy laugh, shaking his head. 

Hangyul is not sure what Seungyoun’s laughing at, but he has a feeling they’re not talking about Yohan anymore. 

He quickly pops another piece of chicken into his mouth. 

_____

Yohan’s soon to be boyfriend  
came over and he’s nice. Really  
nice. His name’s Yuvin and he’s already  
head over heels for Yohan and it’s  
disgustingly cute.   
2:09PM

That’s good (ᵔᴥᵔ)  
HE DESERVES IT.  
2:13PM

Yeah. It sucks because I   
wanted him to be a jerk  
so it was easier to hate him.  
But he’s pretty cool.  
2:16PM

And I already told him I’m a   
black Belt and if he breaks Yohan’s  
heart, I’ll break his back.  
2:17PM

Not gonna lie, that’s kind of hot.  
2:18PM

Not gonna lie, I’ve thought about  
breaking your back a few times.   
2:19PM

You have (¬‿¬)  
2:19PM

Oh my god.  
2:20PM

_____

“We’re doing it tonight.” 

Hangyul stares at Seungyoun mid bite across the table, so long that the kimchi falls off his chopsticks. “What?” 

Seungyoun smiles back, a dark, devilish smile that contradicts the thick glasses he’s wearing. “Tonight. It’s happening.” 

_Oh shit. _

Hangyul can’t even put his chopsticks down. “A-are you sure?” 

Seungyoun raises and eyebrow. “Not getting cold feet are you?” he jokes. Hangyul, though, can see a bit of worry in his eyes. 

“N-no!” Hangyul squeaks, now putting down his chopsticks.“It’s just-” He waves his hands in the air with a fanfare. He’s glad he got to work as early as he did and there’s barely anyone here yet - he probably looks ridiculous right now. _“Holy shit, _we’re doing this.” 

“Fuck yeah, we’re doing this.” Seungyoun smiles, catching Hangyul’s hands in the air with his own. “I already told Wooseok and Seungwoo, so the set will be ready.” He puts Hangyul’s hands down on the table and pats them. He looks like an excited puppy and Hangyul can’t help but smile with him. “You have your outfit, right?” 

“Yeah, I got it last weekend-”

“So get ready, and _let’s kill this!”_ Seungyoun shouts. It echoes through the empty club and someone backstage yells at him to shut up. He’s not deterred, only flipping off the stage door, all while smiling at Hangyul. “We’re on last, after Seungwoo.” One more pat to Hangyul’s hands and Seungyoun takes off, skipping around the tables and chairs to the stage door. 

Holy shit, they’re actually doing this. 

Hangyul suddenly doesn’t feel hungry anymore.

Despite this, he wolfs down the rest of him rice bowl and runs to his dressing room, nearly knocking into Wooseok who’s halfway dressed. _“Ya,_ watch where you’re running!” he yells, but Hangyul just swats at him, dropping into his seat and staring at himself in the mirror. 

It’s happening. Tonight. In a few hours. He’s going to be dancing. With Seungyoun. On stage. In front of a crowd. And his friends. 

_Oh my God._

“What’s got you sweating?” Wooseok asks, walking up behind Hangyul and looking at him in the mirror. 

That’s a good question. Hangyul’s not sure why his stomach is doing flips. He’s a natural performer, he’s not afraid of going out in front of the crowd. But this particular set has him buzzing with anticipation. He wants it perfect. He wants it to be the best performance he’s ever given.

He wants to impress Seungyoun. 

He turns around. “I need a favor.” 

“No, Chaeyeon and I aren’t interested in any threesomes,” Wooseok answers. 

Hangyul can’t tell if he seriously thought that’s what Hangyul was going to ask, but he doesn’t have time to question it. “I need help with my makeup.” 

Wooseok’s eyes light up at that, and he immediately grabs his chair and brings it next to Hangyul. “You’ve come to the right person,” he purrs, turning Hangyul to face him. “So, how sexy are you feeling?” 

Hangyul thinks of Seungyoun in a top hat and dressed in all black, and licks his lips. “Dirty.” 

Wooseok beams.

“Remind me how you’re so good at makeup,” Hangyul mumbles, still a bit stunned at how Wooseok knew how to perfectly blend eyeshadow. 

“Natural talent,” Wooseok shrugs. “And Chaeyeon watches a ton of makeup videos online. I could tell you everything you needed to know about proper blending techniques.” He puts the brush down, taking a step back to look at his work. “Well, you look like a sex demon.” 

Hangyul looks in the mirror, inspecting. “And you’re sure about going for orange instead of dark?” 

“Totally. You’re already in all black. Dark makeup will wash you out. This makes your eyes pop.” 

That makes sense. Hangyul’s never word colored eyeshadow before - he usually doesn’t use any, only rarely if Wooseok is around to help. He mainly sticks with dramatic eyeliner. This though, an orange, almost gold shadow around his eyes, is completely new. He does look a bit out of worldly, but that’s the point - a demon, vampire, circus freak. 

It’s _ hot. _

“Can you do your hair? Or do you need help with that too?” 

Hangyul shakes his head. “I can do that.” He turns and smiles up at Wooseok. “Thanks.” 

Wooseok pats him on the head. “Anything to help you get more dick.” 

Hangyul baulks at him. _ Did he just... _ Quickly, Hangyul laughs it off. “W-what do you-”

Wooseok’s already out the door. 

“You ready?” Yohan asks. He’s practically hopping backstage, like _he _was the one performing. 

“I think I’m gonna puke,” Hangyul honestly answers, and it has Yohan laughing. 

“You’ll be _ fine.” _ He sits down next to him and throws an arm around Hangyul. “It’s going to be the best performance _ Produce _has ever seen.”

That’s not what Hangyul’s nervous about. He’s nervous about Seungyoun. He’s nervous about _dancing _with Seungyoun. He’s nervous because he doesn’t know what he’s going to do up on that stage once he _sees _Seungyoun. He may short circuit and forget all of his dance moves. He may punch him in the face. He may drop to his knees right on stage. 

“Hey-” Hangyul startles when Wooseok taps him on the shoulder. “Put those away before you hurt someone.” He motions towards Hangyul’s shirt, a deep v-neck that’s attached by a buckled collar on top. When Hangyul looks down at it, he pulls the zipper in front down more, revealing more of Hangyul’s chest. Yohan cackles, hitting Wooseok in the side. 

“Oh, and Seungyoun also said to wear this,” Wooseok continues. 

Hangyul looks back up. 

It’s a top hat. 

Wooseok plops it on Hangyul’s head. “Do I want to know?”

That Hangyul has a thing for Seungyoun in a top hat, which Seungyoun definitely knows, and now he’s giving Hangyul one no doubt in an effort to make him pop a boner as soon as he gets on stage? No, Wooseok does _not _need to know. 

His silence just makes Wooseok smirk harder. “Anyway, management also told me to remind you that there's no kissing allowed on stage.” 

Fuck. 

Yohan whips his head around so fast that Hangyul swears he hears it snap. _“Kissing?”_

_Fuck._

“Uh-” 

“Yohan! Seungwoo’s almost finished!” one of the staff members calls. Yohan jumps up from his seat and walks to the stage, but not before giving Hangyul another surprised look. 

_“What the fuck was that?” _Hangyul hisses as soon as Yohan’s out of earshot. 

“Y’know,” Wooseok replies, shrugging his shoulders. “Keep it PG-13 and all that.” 

How could Wooseok say that in front of Yohan? How many people know about him and Seungyoun? “I-I...we’re not...We work in a _strip club,” _Hangyul chokes out, not knowing what else to say. 

“Speaking of which-” Wooseok cranes his neck and motions to the stage. “Sounds like you’re up.” 

“B-but-” 

“Hangyul!” the staff member from before shouts, and Hangyul darts off the chair and into the wings. He can see Yohan get up on stage, thanking Seungwoo for his Havana stage. There are flashlights shining on the other side of the stage, and Hangyul tries to get a glimpse of Seungyoun. He thinks he sees another top hat, but the lights have already turned down before he can say for sure. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, _Produce_ is excited to give to you tonight, a once in a lifetime performance,” Yohan says into the microphone. The crowd begins cheering, and Hangyul’s motioned from the staff to go up on stage. “A special stage from our two hottest _bad guys.” _The crowd cheers again as Yohan gets off stage, then louder when the bass kicks in. 

_Showtime._

As soon as the lyrics start, a red light spotlight shines down on him. Hangyul moves, pulsing with the bass, and he’s lucky he can feel the vibrations because he can barely hear the song over the cheers. It must be a full house, bar hoppers filling every seat and standing against the walls to watch him dance, and it drives him to move harder, slinking down to his knees and pausing once his part is finished. 

The red light disappears from him and moves to where Seungyoun is. The patrons are banging on their tables now, money already out in their hands, and Hangyul shifts his head to catch a glimpse of Seungyoun starting on his knees. 

He stops breathing. 

Seungyoun’s in leather shorts and a crop top. 

His tattoos are out in full display, up his arms, on his wrist, and the _fucking _gun tattoo on his waist. His legs look like they go on for miles, right up to the shorts that are barely containing his ass, and Hangyul feels a little too dressed in his revealing top and ripped jeans, and there goes Seungyoun bending over to stand up and Hangyul really hopes his nose doesn’t start bleeding. 

Seungyoun looks _ sinful. _

Hangyul’s too busy watching Seungyoun he nearly misses his cue to move. He slinks to the edge of the stage, starting to collect bills. Men and women are calling his name, and he puts on a sly smile for them, even bowing his top hat. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Seungyoun jump off the stage to let a man put a bill right into his pants, and Hangyul tries not to scowl. He’s supposed to be _dancing,_ not flirting with the customers. 

When the chorus hits, Hangyul walks to the middle of the stage and dances, like they practiced. The beat rings in his ear, flows through his body, and he wishes Seungyoun was watching to see what a _real _dancer looks like. Said man though is still off stage, slowly making his way back. When he turns to make his way up the stairs, he catches Hangyul’s eyes and freezes, almost missing the first step. 

Hangyul nearly startles, afraid Seungyoun will fall, but the elder bounces back, slinking up the steps and towards the center of the stage. He’s almost missed the entire chorus, and Hangyul’s a bit pissed because what the hell did he choreograph all of it for? But the last four bars of the chorus, Seungyoun times his steps to walk up to Hangyul and slink two fingers under his collar, pulling Hangyul flush against his body. 

This wasn’t part of the choreography. 

Seungyoun smirks at him, tilting Hangyul’s chin up so he can see as Seungyoun mouths the words to the song,_ “I like it when you take control, even if you know that you don't.” _He’s pulling Hangyul by the collar now, walking backwards on the catwalk. The crowd loves it, holding more money out for them. But Hangyul can’t look away from Seungyoun. He’s entranced by the darkness in Seungyoun’s eyes, the promises that are there. 

When they make it to the pole in the center of the catwalk, Seungyoun leans against it, pulling Hangyul back against him, fingers still under his collar. Their noses are brushing, lips _almost _touching, hips slotted together, and Hangyul thinks he may combust. Dance thrown out the window, Hangyul moves with Seungyoun, letting their bodies slowly grind together to the rhythm of the pre-chorus. 

And when the beat stops, just before the chorus, Hangyul takes control, pulling Seungyoun by the waist off the pole and sliding his thigh between Seungyoun’s legs. 

This wasn’t part of the choreography. 

Hangyul’s not sure what alternative dimension he’s entered, but there’s no way this is happening. There’s no way that he’s actually pulling Seungyoun down onto his thigh, swaying them to the music, no way that Seungyoun actually is grabbing his hair on the back of his head and _pulling,_ grinding his hips down on Hangyul’s leg. There’s no way that Hangyul can feel Seungyoun’s cock through his tight ass shorts, no way that Seungyoun moans Hangyul’s name as their hips meet, no way that Hangyul is about to let Seungyoun do whatever he wants to him, right here, in front of a hundred people, no way that - 

And the song stops. 

They both freeze. 

The lights cut out and crowd erupts, banging against tables and throwing money on the stage, demanding more, but Hangyul can only hear Seungyoun’s breath, panting and wild. They stare at each other, frozen. Hangyul’s thigh is still between Seungyoun’s legs, Seungyoun’s hands still all over him, and they’re still on stage, and they need to get off. “W-we gotta go-” 

Something snaps. 

Seungyoun moves first, dropping his hand from Hangyul’s hair to grip Hangyul’s hand and _pulls,_ tugging Hangyul off stage so fast that Hangyul nearly trips to keep up with Seungyoun’s pace. There’s staff waiting backstage, cheering and offering water and towels, and Hangyul can hear Yohan calling out for him somewhere, but Seungyoun breezes past then, dragging Hangyul back to the dressing rooms, to _his_ room, and that’s when Hangyul understands; why he’s not surprised when Seungyoun slams the door closed and pushes him against it, why he’s not surprised when Seungyoun dives for his lips. 

It’s almost funny, how it’s been a few weeks since they’ve fucked like this, and yet it’s still second nature; how easy Hangyul throws his shirt over his head and kicks his shoes away, how easy Seungyoun unbuckles his shorts and kicks them off, how their hands never leave each others bodies. 

“You looked so _ hot _ out there,” Seungyoun moans into Hangyul’s lips. He’s running his hands over Hangyul’s chest, brushing against his nipples and making Hangyul hiss. “Why are you so _ hot?” _

“Could say the same about you,” Hangyul breathes, trying not to pop any of the buttons off Seungyoun’s shirt. But honestly, if it’s not off in the next three seconds, he’s tearing it apart. 

Seungyoun must sense his frustration and helps with the buttons._“Fuck,_ I almost came on stage,” he continues, chucking his shirt away once it’s off. “I wanted to fuck you right there, in front of everyone.” He’s pulling off his boxers next and Hangyul realizes he’s far too behind on the clothing. He starts unbuckling his belt, but Seungyoun’s hands are taking over his, and his lips are back on Hangyul’s. 

Once the belt is off, Seungyoun pulls away, panting and sweating and his lips are already turning red. “Can you fuck me?” He doesn’t wait for Hangyul to answer before he’s mouthing at the younger’s collar bone. _“Please.”_

_“Shit,”_ Hangyul groans - at Seungyoun’s mouth and at the thought of fucking him. “You sure?” 

“Honestly I don’t care what we do, I just need to get you out of these _fucking _pants,” Seungyoun growls. His hands reach for said pants, popping the button open and pulling them and Hangyul’s underwear down in one go. Hangyul steps out of them, and Seungyoun’s hands are caressing his legs. “Your _thighs,” _he sighs. 

Hangyul’s had enough talking. He motions for Seungyoun to step back back, and leads them both to the couch; which, is difficult, given that Seungyoun has gone back to kissing Hangyul senseless. Once there, Hangyul makes a move for Seungyoun to lie on his back, but Seungyoun pushes him instead, laying him down. “Gonna ride you,” Seungyoun whispers. 

Hangyul whimpers._ Fuck._

Seungyoun leaves him there for a second, make a move to grab lube and condoms from his dresser. Hangyul takes the moment to fix his position, settling his whole body across the couch. He just fits, which is good, even if one leg almost falls off the side. Seungyoun’s back, throwing the lube at Hangyul and huffing, _“Hurry.”_

He would, but Seungyoun’s distracting as fuck, especially when he’s draped along Hangyul’s chest and is trying to decorate Hangyul with as many hickies as possible. _“I’m going as fast as I can,”_ Hangyul hisses. He struggles for a few seconds with the cap, and he thinks that Seungyoun may kill him on the spot; but once it’s open he wastes no time pouring some on his fingers and spreading Seungyoun’s ass. 

_“Wait-”_ Seungyoun grabs his wrist, stopping Hangyul from moving. “Is this okay?” 

Hangyul blinks, not sure if he heard right. _“Y-yeah,”_ he breathes, a bit confused. “Of course.” He’s not sure why Seungyoun’s asking - Hangyul’s already leaking, and Seungyoun’s dick is an angry red. He’s absolutely sure this is okay. He wants nothing more right now. 

After a few seconds, Seungyoun lets go of his wrist. “Okay,” he says back, nodding his head. 

Something’s off. “Do...you not want to?” Hangyul asks. He pulls his hand back and lays it on his leg. “We don’t...have to.” 

“No, no.” Seungyoun shakes his head. “I just...wanted to make sure you were okay with this. It’s been a while.” 

“Since I’ve topped?” 

_“No.”_ Seungyoun lets out a breathy laugh. “Since we’ve fucked in general.” 

Oh. 

Hangyul gulps. “I still want to. I-if you still want to.” It’s the truth. 

Seungyoun smiles down at him, then swivels his hips right against Hangyul’s dick. It has him swearing, arching his back and hissing through his teeth. “Let’s see you break my back, Gyullie,” he purrs. 

Hangyul swears again, wrapping his free hand around Seungyoun’s neck and pulling him back down against his chest. Seungyoun kisses him right away, sighing into his lips when Hangyul presses two fingers inside him. 

Seungyoun is as impatient as they come, wanting everything _now. _He’s already moving his hips back against Hangyul’s fingers, already groaning at the stretch. _“Fuck, I missed this,” _ he moans, moving his lips to Hangyul’s neck. 

“M-me, too,” Hangyul agrees, turning his head so Seungyoun has better access. He lets Seungyoun do as he pleases for a few more moments, then adds another finger. Seungyoun moans again, and Hangyul can’t help but drive his hips up, trying to get some friction. _“S-seungyoun-”_

Another laugh, and Seungyoun pulls back, sitting himself up and driving Hangyul’s fingers deeper inside him. He reaches for the condom he tossed at Hangyul earlier and opens it with his teeth. “I’m good,” he says, and Hangyul removes his fingers. He’s lucky there’s a towel nearby, or else the couch was getting lubed. He jerks when Seungyoun rolls the condom on him and lubes him up in record time. 

“Careful,” Hangyul warns, and Seungyoun just smiles at him before sinking down on his cock. The groan Hangyul lets out is almost as loud as Seungyoun’s. He throws his head back at the heat that surrounds him, especially since Seungyoun takes him all the way in, until he’s sitting on Hangyul’s hips. 

_“Shit.”_ Seungyoun gulps, and Hangyul watches his chest bob. “Why are you so _big.”_

Hangyul feels like he needs to make a joke here about good genetics, but he feels like he can’t even breathe. Seungyoun’s so tight around him that he may come just like this - Seungyoun sitting on his dick and looking absolutely wrecked. 

He must look pained, because Seungyoun’s smirking down on him and finally moves; he braces himself on Hangyul’s shoulders and makes small circles with his hips at first, enough for Hangyul to groan in pleasure. Hangyul takes the chance to move his hands up Seungyoun’s chest, caressing his gun tattoo, brushing past his nipples. When Seungyoun’s moans get louder, Hangyul rolls his hips up, ever so slightly, and Seungyoun cries out. 

Hangyul rolls his hips a few more times before he moves his hands to Seungyoun’s waist and slams him down. Seungyoun _ wails. “Fuck, _ like that,” he pants, gripping Hangyul’s shoulders tighter to use as leverage. 

They move in sync, Hangyul pulling Seungyoun down and Seungyoun pushing himself up. “Wish I could live on your dick,” Seungyoun groans, in between thrusts. “Would fuck you like this every day.” 

It amazes Hangyul how talkative Seungyoun can be, when he himself is finding it harder and harder to breathe. He isn’t going to last long, not with Seungyoun squeezing around him and sending these sparks that run through his body. He moves one of his hands to Seungyoun’s cock and starts jerking him off to the rhythm of their hips. 

That earns another cry from Seungyoun. _ “Fuck,” _ Seungyoun moans, and bounces on Hangyul’s dick harder. “Fuck, I’m close.”

_Good,_ Hangyul thinks, because all it takes is Seungyoun squeezing around his dick once more for him to come. He gasps, pushing his hips as far as they can go against Seungyoun and coming into the condom. Seungyoun moans, and continues to move himself on Hangyul’s cock to get more friction. _“Hangyul-”_

Hangyul’s hands are shaking, but he’s able to stroke Seungyoun, fast and sloppy, just the way he likes, until Hangyul feels Seungyoun’s thighs shake and warm, sticky come against his stomach. 

They stay still for a few minutes. Seungyoun braces himself against the back of the couch to keep from falling over, and Hangyul just sinks into the cushions. His body feels like it’s on fire, and he doesn’t think he’s going to be able to walk for a while. “Holy shit,” he breathes. 

Seungyoun chuckles. “You good?” 

“I should be asking _you.”_

“I’m _great,” _Seungyoun answers, swiveling his hips to make his point. It has Hangyul whimpering from the sensitivity, which makes Seungyoun chuckle again. He moves first, pulling himself off Hangyul’s cock with a slight wince. Hangyul notices and rubs his hips a bit with one hand, while reaching for the towel he found earlier. As soon as he picks it up, Seungyoun takes it from his hands and starts cleaning them off, starting with the come on Hangyul’s stomach. 

“I can do that…” Hangyul mumbles, but Seungyoun ignores him, carefully wiping everything up, then taking the condom off him and tossing it in his garbage nearby. He cleans himself, then throws the towel back on the ground. Seungyoun maneuvers his body to lie on the opposite side of the couch, letting their legs tangle together as they come down from their highs. 

Hangyul could probably fall asleep right now, and he might have if Seungyoun didn’t kick his leg. “Hey,” the older softly calls. Hangyul whines a bit, just having got comfortable, but peeks an eye open over to Seungyoun. “That was a great performance,” Seungyoun continues, a proud smile on his face. Hangyul snorts, but Seungyoun kicks him again. “No, seriously, you killed it.”

That’s nice of Seungyoun to say. Hangyul was giving a great performance. 

Y’know, before he and Seungyoun started foreplay on stage. 

Hangyul feels a bit bashful. _ “We _killed it,” he replies. He can’t forget Seungyoun’s dancing either.

“Should have done that a long time ago.”

“I hated you,” Hangyul snorts again. “I wouldn’t have stepped foot on stage with you.”

Seungyoun sits up a bit, curious. “As in...past tense?” he asks. 

Oh.

Hangyul opens his mouth, then closes it again. Did he mean to put it in past tense? He’s always hated Seungyoun. Since the day he started working at _Produce_. He doesn’t know what _not _hating Seungyoun feels like. Even now, he feels something bubbling up from his stomach, hot and strong. It sure feels like hatred. But _does _he still hate Seungyoun? 

Seungyoun leans back down, shifting around the couch for a more comfortable position. “Why _did_ you hate me?” 

That’s easy. “You were loud and annoying. And a bit stuck up.” 

Seungyoun shrugs at that, unbothered. 

Hangyul sighs, looking up at the ceiling. After a few seconds, he says, softly, “And you were such a good dancer. And everyone liked you.” Hangyul remembers watching Seungyoun on stage for the first time, how his body moved, how easy it was to fall into his eyes, and how angry Hangyul was - angry that there may have been a better dancer than him. Angry that Yohan was impressed right away. Angry that even though Seungyoun was cocky, he didn’t have a mean bone in his body. 

He feels Seungyoun lean up again. _“Really?”_ Seungyoun asks, sounding surprised. 

“Yeah…” Hangyul replies. It seems so stupid now, to be angry at Seungyoun for nothing more than being a good dancer and a social butterfly. He sighs again, feeling a bit ashamed. “I was jealous. And am bad with feelings.” After a few seconds. Hangyul tilts his head to look at Seungyoun. “Did _you _hate me?” 

“Eh,” Seungyoun shrugs again. “It was just fun to push your buttons. I never met someone who hated me at first sight.” He winks at Hangyul, and Hangyul rolls his eyes, but can’t stop the fond smile that appears. “It was like having an arch nemesis.” 

That has Hangyul laughing. “I’ve always wanted an arch nemesis.” 

Seungyoun hums. “Well, are we still arch nemeses?” 

Hangyul looks at Seungyoun for a few moments. “Nah,” he eventually decides. “We’ve graduated.” 

“To what?” 

Good question. What are they now? What do you call someone you now don’t hate, sleep with, and sometimes go out to dinner with. How about...“Co-workers?” Hangyul suggests. 

The look Seungyoun gives him is strange, almost as if Seungyoun’s...sad? “Co-workers,” he repeats, slowley. Hangyul wonders if he’s said the wrong thing, but then Seungyoun’s smile is back, and he’s laughing. “Like Captain America and Iron Man?” 

Hangyul laughs, too. “Yes, we’re co-workers like Captain America and Iron Man.” 

Seungyoun’s smile gets brighter, and he leans all the way up on the couch. “Well, I’m glad to be co-workers with you, Hangyul,” he says, sticking his hand out. Hangyul laughs again and shakes it. 

_____

“Heading out?” Yohan calls from the couch, and Hangyul gets a sudden flash of deja vu. Except this time Hangyul’s the one trying to sneak out and Yohan’s on the couch texting his “not-official-boyfriend-but-boyfriend” Yuvin. 

“Uh...yeah.” He looks down at his shoe, then back up at Yohan. “Gonna go see the extended version of _Endgame…_” 

With Seungyoun, but Yohan doesn’t need to know that. 

“Nice,” Yohan says with a smile. “Have fun.” 

“Yeah…” Hangyul replies, quickly putting on his other shoe. He’s meeting Seungyoun at the theater and doesn’t want to be late. If they don’t get seats perfectly in the center of the theater, they may as well not even watch the movie. 

“Hey.” 

Hangyul looks up at Yohan. His friend gives him another smile, this one a bit sheepish. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” 

Fuck. 

Hangyul gulps. “Y-yeah, of course.” 

“So you have absolutely nothing to tell me?” 

He gets his shoe on, and starts standing up, grabbing his bag as he stands. “About what?” _Keep playing dumb, Hangyul._ Maybe Yohan just wants to ask about the leftovers he keeps forgetting to empty from the fridge. 

Yohan keeps smiling, but raises an eyebrow. “A certain _co-worker_ of ours?” 

Yep, it’s about the sex. 

He totally knows. Everyone probably knows now. He and Seungyoun weren’t exactly _quiet _last Thursday night after their set, the whole club probaby heard them fucking and- 

_“Fuck, _okay. I’m sorry. I should have told you, I know-” 

“I knew it!” his friend laughs, pointing a finger at Hangyul. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

_“Because,_ it’s kind of fucked up, right? Like, I know I overreact, and we had this whole talk about healthy relationships and trying to be better about letting people in, but I just _can’t,” _Hangyul babbles, running a hand through his hair. Why does Yohan look so pleased? This is _literally _the one thing he’s on Hangyul’s case about. “It’s scary as fuck. Besides Seungyoun’s been fine with it, and he’s not pressuring me or anything, and I’m kind of starting to talk to him, so I guess that’s and improvement and…” He trials off when he sees Yohan’s face turn down, confusion written all over. 

“Wait...what?” 

Hangyul gulps. “Me and Seungyoun.” 

“Yeah…” Yohan replies, slowley. “You’re together? Dating?”

_What._

“Wait...you think we’re _dating?” _Hangyul chokes, a bit flabbergasted. 

“Are you..._ not?” _ Yohan looks just as confused as he is.

_ “No! _ No, we’re not dating!” Is that what this is all about? Yohan thought he and Seungyoun were _ dating? _ Does he really not know about them sleeping with each other? 

Suddenly, it occurs to Hangyul that Yohan really had no idea about he and Seungyoun. He may have sincerely thought they were trying to hide a relationship. 

Which, is not..._ untrue. _

“Then what are _you _talking about?” Yohan asks, sitting straight up. He’s starting to look highly suspicious, and Hangyul realizes he’s said too much. 

“Uh…” 

_ Run. _

“I’ve gotta go,” Hangyul mumbles, turning around and running out the door. He ignores Yohan’s calls after him.

_____

Hangyul’s never been happier to work behind the bar than tonight. 

He was the first to perform, which usually means less tips since there are less people and less alcohol running through their systems; but tonight, it means that Hangyul can run off stage and ignore Yohan’s prying questions. 

“Excuse me, good sir.” 

Hangyul snorts and rolls his eyes, turning to Seungyoun with a raised eyebrow. Seungyoun just beams, leaning over the side of the bar where only employees are allowed. “I would like to procure a beverage.” 

Hangyul snorts again, trying not to laugh. “What’s your poison, my good fellow?” 

“One cola, if you would be so kind.”

Hangyul can’t help but smile now. _ An idiot, _ he thinks fondly, while taking a plastic cup and filling it with soda.

“So, are you doing anything tomorrow?” Seungyoun asks, leaning in closer so Hangyul can hear him over the music. “I’m dying for something sweet and there’s this amazing ice cream place that just opened by my apartment.” 

“Maybe,” Hangyul replies, handing Seungyoun over his soda. “I promised Yohan I’d shop with him and his boyfriend tomorrow. I can meet after?” 

“That works.” Seungyoun takes a sip of his drink. “If you want, you can hang out at my apartment before work. I still need to show you _If Only.”_

_“_Sounds good.” Hangyul motions to the soda. “Does anyone else need one before it gets crazy?” 

Seungyoun nods. “Good call. I’ll ask.” 

“I’ll just make some pitchers!” Hangyul calls after him. He gets a thumbs up. 

As he gets some pitchers together, Eunyoung bumps him in the shoulder. “You two are playing nice with each other,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows. 

“Uh, yeah. We’re good.” Why is everyone so interested all of a sudden in him and Seungyoun? He shakes his head and grabs three pitchers, setting them on the bar and grabbing the soda gun to fill them. 

Someone slinks into the empty bar seat in front of him. “Hey,” a slurred voice asks. 

Hangyul looks up and sees a young guy who's already red in the face. _Oh boy. _He puts on a smile as he fills the pitchers. “Hi. Can I get you something?” 

The man takes a few seconds to look Hangyul up and down. “You on your knees would be a start.” 

Awesome. 

Hangyul sighs, and shakes his head. “How about some water to start?” 

The guys smiles like a shark. “I-I’ll take the water and...and a glass of Hite.” 

“Four thousand,” Hangyul answers, and waits for the guy to pull out money. At least he’s got cash. Hangyul takes the bills and walks over the cash register. 

While there, he catches Eunyoung’s eye and motions to the guy. She looks over and gets the message right away. “I’ll let get security,” she says, finishing the drink she was pouring. Hangyul nods back and takes his time getting the beer, slowly pouring it into a glass, then taking time to pour the water. 

“I was here last week, when you did that _Bad Guy_ performance,” the guy says when Hangyul gives him his drinks. “You were _hot.”_

“Thanks,” Hangyul answers. He cranes his neck to see if Eunyoung is with security yet. There’s not much they can do right now if the guy’s drunk, but at least security can stay by the bar in case anything does happen. 

“I-I was gonna give you some money,” the guys continues, picking up the beer. “But you started fucking that guy on stage.” 

“Maybe next time.” Hangyul mainly meant it as a getaway, moving on to another couple that’s asking for him, but the guy gets louder. 

“What about now?” he calls, almost leaning over the bar. “How much for a private show?” 

Oh boy. 

Hangyul ignores him as best he can, getting the drink orders from the new couple who look a bit sympathetic. He looks back over and is relieved to see one of the security guards walking over with Eunyoung. There’s almost nothing worse than a drunk asshole at the bar. 

The worst thing is when the drunk asshole gets pissed he’s being ignored, and purposely throws a pitcher of soda at you. 

Hangyul probably shouldn’t have left the pitchers in front of him. 

He gets it mostly in the face and chest, and a bit lands in his eyes. He curses, rubbing his eyes, because that _stings._

_“Shit,_ you okay, dude?” he can hear one of the customers asks. 

He tries blinking to get the soda out, but it’s not helping much. “Anybody got some water?” he calls, not sure if anyone will hear him. Security is here now, yelling at the guy and a flurry of chairs scratching against the floor, along with the music that keeps playing. 

There’s one voice, though, that he hears above the noise. 

“You _prick,_ I’ll kick your ass!” 

Hangyul sighs, blinking again and shaking his head. It still stings, but at least he can see out of one eye just in time for Seungyoun to grab him around the waist and pull him away from the action. 

“Seungyoun, I’m_ fine,”_ Hangyul says, still rubbing his eyes. “You have a towel?” 

Seungyoun doesn’t answer, just leads Hangyul away from the bar and into the back of the club, and Hangyul lets him. He can wash his face, at least, and maybe he can borrow someone’s shirt. 

Once in his dressing room, Hangyul’s taken to the bathroom sink. “Make sure to get as much as you can out,” Seungyoun tells him, rubbing Hangyul’s back. Hangyul does, thankful for the first time in his life he never wears his contacts. 

“What the fuck was that asshole thinking,” Seungyoun growls, handing Hangyul a towel. 

Hangyul shakes his head. “He was just pissed I turned him down, even though he offered to pay me.” He rubs his face against the towel and blinks again. The stinging is finally going away, which is good. 

“Prick. Thinks he can do whatever he wants.” 

“Maybe I should have taken him up on the offer,” Hangyul half jokes, putting the towel down as he does. “I could’ve used the money.” He doesn’t really mean it. Mostly. But he was already in a sour mood, and this just made things worse. 

He can see Seungyoun stiffen a bit next to him. “You’re better than that,” Seungyoun says, but Hangyul just waves it off.

“It was a joke, forget it,” Hangyul mumbles. He pulls his shirt over his head. ”It’s not-” 

_“Hangyul.”_ Seungyoun nearly growls, and it has Hangyul jumping a bit. He’s surprised by the anger in Seungyoun’s voice, and it must show because Seungyoun closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before speaking again: “You’re worth so much more than that.” 

The sincerity in Seungyoun’s voice has Hangyul’s chest tightening. 

The air suddenly gets thick, and it makes Hangyul gulps. He’s not used to such compliments from anyone other than Yohan, nor is he used to someone looking at him like Seungyoun is now; sympathetic, soft, maybe a bit sad. It’s a look that has Hangyul wanting to say something very un-Hangyul, which is also new. Some variation of “I’m fine stop treating me like a child” doesn’t seem right, not now. 

“Hangyul?” 

Hangyul jumps, turning around and nearly hitting Seungyoun in the face with his hand. “I-I’m in the the bathroom!” he squawks, and Seungwoo appears, looking worried. 

“Hey, are you okay? Eunyoung said someone threw a drink at you?” Seungwoo asks. 

Hangyul’s heart is beating pretty fast and he doesn’t think it’s from Seungwoo scaring him. “I-I’m fine. Thanks.” 

Seungwoo looks over at Seungyoun, then back at Hangyul. “Why don’t you go home? It’s not that busy tonight.” 

Hangyul sighs. “I’m _fine,_ Seungwoo. Really.” Also, he really needs the money. He wasn’t kidding about that earlier. 

But Seungwoo’s already pulling him out of the bathroom, looking around his dressing room until he finds a shirt. He hands it to Hangyul, then peeks around and looks back at Seungyoun who’s still standing in the bathroom. “Can you make sure he gets home?” 

“I don’t need a babysitter...” Hangyul grumbles, throwing the new shirt over his head. What he needs is another shower, and maybe a drink or two of his own. 

“Your shift is almost done, anyway,” Seungwoo argues. He grabs Hangyul’s bag and hands it to home. “Take the rest of the night off.” 

Hangyul scowls. “Who put _you _in charge?” But he takes the bag and throws it over his shoulder. If he’s being offered, he may as well go home and get some sleep. 

Seungwoo smiles and fluffs his hair. 

Hangyul texts Yohan what happened and that he’ll see him back at the apartment, says a quick goodbye and thank you to Eunyoung, then walks out of the club through the staff back door. The city’s still buzzing at 12:30 in the morning. Hangyul briefly thinks about stopping somewhere and getting something to drink. 

“So how about that ice cream?” 

Hangyul squawks for the second time that night. Why does everyone feel the need to sneak up on him? “Stop that!” he nearly shrieks, swatting Seungyoun away. “Go away!” 

“Nope,” Seungyoun sings, hopping next to Hangyul and looping their arms. “I promised Seungwoo I’d make sure you got home.” 

“I’m just gonna get a taxi right home,” Hangyul replies, but Seungyoun’s already walking them towards the street. 

“Wrong again. We’re going out.” 

_“Out?”_

“We never properly celebrated our amazing set!” Seungyoun explains, as if it was obvious. 

Hangyul feels his body heat up when he thinks of the kind of celebrating they _did _do, and almost asks Seungyoun why he doesn’t consider that a celebration. But hey, if Seungyoun wants to treat him to a night out, Hangyul won’t complain. 

“Let’s do something _wild,” _Seungyoun continues. He’s walking faster now, and Hangyul can hear the excitement grow in his voice. “Like...get a tattoo.” 

That has Hangyul laughing. He likes his tattoos, but isn’t going to go and get one on a whim. But something wild - something a bit crazy, a whole lot of fun - sounds perfect. Something that Hangyul’s never done before. Something that Seungyoun would want to do. Something that Hangyul may regret in the morning, but nothing as permanent as a tattoo. 

It hits him when they walk past Nature Republic and he sees the cardboard standees. “I have a _ better _ idea.”

“I still can’t believe you made your friend come back to his salon just for _us,” _Hangyul marvels. He feels a bit bad, but Sejin insisted it was fine. In fact, he sounded ecstatic when Seungyoun mentioned Hangyul’s name. And by the time Seungyoun and Hangyul found a taxi that would take them to Hongdae, he had called another one of Seungyoun’s friends, Byungchan, and opened the shop. 

“You said you wanted to go blonde, so I’m giving you the best treatment,” Seungyoun replies from the chair next to him. He keeps turning around in the chair like a child, and it only takes a few more seconds until Byungchan walks over and stops him. 

“Not _fully _blonde,” Sejin reminds him, taking a strand of Hangyul’s hair out of a clip and checking it. Sejin agreed with Seungyoun that going totally blonde may not be the best look for Hangyul. _Highlights,_ Sejin had said, looking Hangyul over. _And we’ll lighten you up with some brown at the roots._

Hangyul wasn’t so sure about only going blonde on the top of his head, but Seungyoun said that Sejin was the best, so he trusts him. Even more so after Sejin turned Seungyoun down for going blonde: “Cho Seungyoun, I spent almost three hundred thousand won saving your head from the last time you dyed your hair. You’re not getting an ounce of color.” 

So now Seungyoun’s pouting in the seat next to Hangyul, only styled up with some gel. Hangyul told him that he thinks black hair suited Seungyoun well anyway, and that seemed to make him feel a bit better. 

“So, Hangyul-” Hangyul turns his head as much as he can towards Byungchan. “Seungyoun tells us you’re a great dancer.” 

Seungyoun immediately shushes him, pushing him away and harshley whispering something. It has Byungchan laughing and Sejin rolling his eyes. “Uh, I think I am,” Hangyul answers. 

“Don’t be modest. We’ve heard you’re the best at the club,” Sejin says as he takes another strand out and inspects it. “Seungyoun talks about your dancing all the time.” 

“You _ do?” _ Hangyul asks him, not believing what he’s hearing. Does Seungyoun think Hangyul’s _ that _good of a dancer? 

Seungyoun turns around to Sejin and flips him off, looking a bit panicked. Hangyul doesn’t think he’s ever seen Seungyoun looked flustered. He’s usually confident and loud and now...is he...getting _shy?_

This _is _turning out to be a wild evening. 

Seungyoun opens and closes his mouth several times, before he jumps out of the chair and mumbles “I-I’ll be right back.” He grabs Byungchan’s arm and drags him outside, slamming the salon door shut on the way out. 

Hangyul’s even more confused. 

“Well, guess that answers that.” Sejin shrugs his shoulders, not looking at all bothered. He taps Hangyul’s shoulders. “Time to wash!” 

“Uh…” He’s still feeling a bit whiplashed, but lets Sejin lead him back to the sinks. “Did I miss something?” 

“Just a few friends teasing each other. Nothing to worry about.” Sejin sits Hangyul down and starts the water. “Let’s get you finished.”

Hangyul’s got a million thoughts running through his mind - mainly why would Seungyoun talk about him to his friends - but they’re quickly forgotten when Sejin starts running the hot water against his head. It feels great, and he sighs, sinking further into the chair as Sejin washes him out. 

A few minutes later and he’s back in the styling chair, watching as Sejin blows his hair out. It’s strange seeing him with blonde hair. He’s never had anything other than black, but the blonde looks _good._ Really good. It’s almost silver against his skin, and the brown undertones make it pop even more. Hangyul loves it, especially when Sejin styles it off his forehead. 

“There,” Sejin says when he’s finished. He takes gives it some hairspray. “Look’s perfect. You could pass for an idol.” 

Hangyul beams. 

He fights Sejin for a good five minutes about the price, knowing that Sejin is not charging nearly enough, but the elder just accepts twenty five thousand won and a promise of sending him the proper shampoo in the morning. Hangyul sighs, but promises he’ll tell everyone at the club to come to the salon. He leaves out the door, and almost forgets he came here with someone. Luckily, Seungyoun isn't too far away. 

“H-hey!” Seungyoun calls when Hangyul exists the shop. He and Byungchan are sitting on a bench a few feet away from the salon. 

Hangyul waves back. “So?” he asks, doing a turn so Seungyoun and Byungchan can see his new hair. 

Byungchan gives him a thumbs up, while Seungyoun looks for a few seconds before giving him a bright smile. “Looks great.” 

Hangyul smiles back. “So...where next?” Seungyoun gives him a confused look, and Hangyul walks over to him and pokes him on the forehead. “You promised me a celebration. And-” Hangyul pulls out his phone. “It’s only 2:30.” He puts his phone away and pokes Seungyoun in the head again. “So where to?”

It’s funny, but Hangyul’s never been to a club outside of _Produce._ He works most nights, which makes going out hard enough. But Yohan doesn’t do clubs, and Hangyul wouldn’t have anyone else to go with, anyway. 

Tonight is truly a night of firsts. 

Hangyul, Seungyoun, and his new friends head down the street to a club that Byungchan describes as “downright dirty,” and try to flirt their way in when the security guard frowns at them. “My best friend just broke up with his girlfriend and needs a night out,” Seungyoun pouts, holding Sejin by the shoulders and patting his head. Sejin immediately starts sniffling. 

Hangyul is trying his hardest not to burst out laughing, but does when the guard finally lets them in. They share a small victory dance before heading over to the bar. They get drinks upon drinks, throwing back shots and laughing over nothing. It feels strange to Hangyul, being surrounded by people he barely knows and laughing with them, feeling comfortable and welcomed. It may be the alcohol, or it may be a loud Seungyoun doing actor impressions that are downright awful. 

And once the alcohol’s kicked in, Hangyul lets Seungyoun take him by the hand and pull him onto the dance floor, deep within the sea of bodies. It’s a hot, sweaty mess, but Hangyul lets Seungyoun pull him close, lets him wrap his arms around Hangyul’s waist and lead them both. He drapes himself over Seungyoun’s shoulders, letting their noses tough, their lips brush; he lets Seungyoun nuzzle his neck as they move against each other to the music. 

At one point, _“Bad Guy”_ starts playing and they burst into laughter. Hangyul tries to do the choreography, but can barely make it a few steps without hitting someone. Seungyoun just laughs and holds him closer, turning Hangyul so his back is against Seungyoun’s chest. Hangyul can feel Seungyoun’s laugh vibrate through his body. 

They dance until the sun comes up, until the crowd dies down and there’s only a handful of people left. At some point they make it back to the bar to say goodbye to Byungchan and Sejin, but then they’re back with the last few stragglers. The alcohol’s wearing off, but Hangyul still feels the high when Seungyoun twirls them around like a pair of ballroom dancers, and he’s not sure he wants to come down.

“Y’know, you need to make me a playlist.” 

“Hm?” Hangyul yawns from Seungyoun’s shoulder. He was in the middle of a wonderful nap. 

“Of your favorite songs,” Seungyoun explains, nudging Hangyul with the water bottle he’s drinking out of. “I wanna listen.”

Hangyul snorts while he takes the water, sitting back up in the car seat. “You’re not going to like my taste in music.”

“You listen to Michael Bublé; you have to have _some _taste.” Seungyoun bumps his shoulder. “C’mon, I made _you _one!” He now leans against Hangyul, batting his eyelashes. _“Please?”_

“Okay, okay,” Hangyul laughs, shoving him off. “But no judging.” 

“Me? _Never!”_

Hangyul rolls his eyes. He looks out the window of the taxi they’re in and realizes he’s almost at his apartment. He starts grabbing his bag and tells the driver to leave him on the corner of the street. 

“Can you text me when you get home?” Hangyul asks Seungyoun as he gathers his things. 

“Sure,” Seugnyoun yawns, stretching his arms over his head. 

Hangyul gives him a smile, then telling the driver _thank you_ when he stops on the side of the road. 

“Hey, Hangyul.” Hangyul pauses, hand on the door. Seungyoun smiles, still as bright as it was when Hangyul first saw him today. “Thank you. This was fun.” 

Hangyul’s not sure what Seungyoun’s thanking him for - he should be thanking _ Seungyoun _\- but all he can do is give Seungyoun a sleepy smile back and a soft, “You’re welcome.”

_____

I’m home!!!  
And going to sleep for  
12 hours.  
6:23AM

We have work in 12 hours.  
6:26AM

ಥ_ಥ  
6:28AM

But thanks for a wild  
Celebration :)  
6:30AM

(◕‿◕✿)  
6:31AM

_____

Hangyul takes a deep breath, and then opens his bedroom door. 

Yohan is already sitting on the couch, arms crossed, and fully dressed. 

Hangyul’s in for it. 

“We need to talk,” Yohan starts, not even looking up from the TV. 

“Yohan-” 

Yohan turns off the TV and takes his feet of the coffee table. Hangyul can practically see the thought out speech running through his friend’s mind, and how it short circuits when Yohan looks up and sees him. “Y-you’re blonde,” he says, a bit dazed. 

“Yeah…” Hangyul runs a hand through his hair. “I, uh, dyed it last night.” 

That doesn’t seem to make Yohan feel better.“What’s going _on,_ Hangyul?” he cries out, looking frustrated. “I’m worried. You’re keeping something from me.” 

“I know,” Hangyul admits softly, ashamed, because there’s no point in lying anymore. He can’t lose Yohan over his own mistakes. So he shuffles over to the couch sitting next to Yohan with his knees curled up to his chest. “Just...don’t hate me,” he says softly, tapping his knee caps. 

Yohan sighs, shaking his head. “I’d never hate you. You’re my best friend. Nothing you do could make me hate you.” He smiles, reaching over to poke Hangyul in the cheek. “Even if you threw up on my favorite shoes in middle school.” 

Hangyul will never deserve Yohan. 

He gives his friend a weak smile back, then takes a breath. “I’ve been sleeping with Seungyoun.” 

The silence makes his ears ring. 

“Oh,” is all Yohan says after a few seconds. He doesn’t look like he’s going to strangle Hangyul yet, which is good. 

“Yeah, for a while. Since...March?” Wow. Four months. Four months since Seungyoun pushed Hangyul down on his dressing room couch and fucked him into a stupor. Five months if you count the kissing and handjobs that happened before. 

_“Just_...sleeping with him?” Yohan asks. 

“Yeah.” Hangyul goes back to tapping his kneecaps. “Kind of a fuck buddy thing? Nothing serious.” 

“But you hate him.” 

“Nah. I was just being a jerk.” Hangyul shakes his head, not hesitating. No more lying to Yohan, and hating Seungyoun may have been the biggest lie of them all. “We’re good now. That wasn’t a lie.” He pauses, then says, “We’ve been hanging out a lot.” 

Yohan perks up a bit at that. “Oh?” 

“Yeah. We went to a club last night with two of his friends.” Another pause. “And have been watching a lot of movies. And getting food.” Huh, they’ve been hanging out more than Hangyul’s thought. 

“Is that what you’ve been doing while I’m in class?” Yohan jokes, poking Hangyul again in the cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“I thought you’d get mad,” Hangyul mumbles back. “Y’know, fucking someone instead of trying to form a relationship.” 

The smile falls from Yohan’s face. “That’s...not entirely what I meant.” He sighs, eyes getting sad. “I just don’t want you to close yourself off from someone because you’re afraid. If you want to have sex, I fully support your decision to get laid.” That has Hangyul smiling, and Yohan smiles back. “But it sounds like you really like him. I don’t want to see you run away because you’re starting to get feelings.” 

What. 

Hangyul sits up, offended. “I’m _not.” _

“Hangyul, you’ve been spending a lot of time with Seungyoun. It’s okay to admit you have a crush on him.” 

“I don’t-” 

Yohan raises an eyebrow. “I’ve known you since _kindergarten._ I know when you have a crush on someone.” 

Hangyul starts to protest again, but Yohan shifts his body, turning to face him on the couch. “I _don’t_ like him,” Yohan says, lowering his voice and pouting, putting his hands on his hips. His face then goes soft and he sighs, like a lovesick teenager. “You go through a strong period of denial, but you get literal heart eyes when you see or talk about the person.” 

Dammit. 

“I _don’t,” _Hangyul grumbles again, pushing Yohan over so he falls on his back against the cushions. “We’re just friends.” 

Yohan gives another exasperated sigh. _“Fine, _fine. Just friends.” He pulls himself back up. “But really. Don’t miss the chance to be happy.” He gives Hangyul another smile. “It sounds scary, but it’s worth it.” 

Hangyul’s not so sure.

_____

[Link Attached]  
Just go easy on your critiques.  
Not everyone can be a musical  
genius like you.  
9:21AM

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)  
I’M PUMPED  
9:25AM

Also Sejin and Byungchan  
Want to see you again.  
9:46AM

Maybe the four of us and   
Yohan and his boyfriend all hangout?  
9:48AM

BOYS NIGHT OUT  
(•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■)  
9:50AM

But not too late, Yohan and Yuvin  
Have class in the morning.  
9:51AM

BOYS AFTERNOON OUT   
(•_•) ( •_•)>⌐■-■ (⌐■_■)  
9:53AM

Your such a dork.  
9:54AM

But I’m your dork  
(▰˘◡˘▰)  
9:55AM

_____

“Rough day?” Seungyoun asks, bumping his shoulder into Hangyul’s. They’re on their way to Seungyoun’s apartment. The elder has a full day planned for them tomorrow, including breakfast at a new restaurant Seungyoun found a few days ago and a stack of movies that Hangyul’s never seen. 

Hangyul gives him a tired smile and pulls his backpack up more on his shoulder. “Yeah, someone got real handsy.” Which is true. One of the patrons squeezed his ass when he walked by. It’s against the club rules, mainly for the safety of employees, and the guy was quickly kicked out by security. 

But really, Hangyul’s still thinking about his conversation with Yohan. _It’s worth it. _Those words keep bouncing around in his mind. Yohan makes it so easy, so easy to let someone in, to be vulnerable; knowing that at any moment they can break your heart, knowing that at any second everything can come crashing down and you can’t build yourself back up. 

But Hangyul just shakes his head. He shouldn’t be worry about that anyway. It’s not like he and Seungyoun are anything. 

They’re only co-workers. 

“Shit, really?” Seungyoun replies. He scoffs, shaking his head. “I’m talking to management, this is getting ridiculous.” 

“It’s fine.” 

“It’s _not_ fine. That’s the second person to attack you in a week. We need better security.” 

Hangyul isn't going to lie - it’s kind of hot seeing Seungyoun like this; bothered and angry on his behalf, even if Hangyul can fight his own battles. He’s starting to see the appeal of having some sort of knight in shining armor. Maybe he should hire Seungyoun as a bodyguard or something. 

“Well, I’m fine. So you don’t have to worry about it now,” Hangyul insists, tapping Seungyoun on the ass. They’ve made it back to the apartment anyway, and while Seungyoun mumbles things under his breath, he drops the subject. 

Once inside, Hangyul drops his backpack and walks over to Seungyoun’s plants. “Hi boys, how was your week?” he asks. The plants wave back from the air conditioner, and Hangyul smiles in return. 

“Do you need a shower?” 

Hangyul turns to Seungyoun, who’s got a fond smile on his face. He shakes his head. “Nope, I took one before we left.” 

“Well, I’m going to take one.” Seungyoun yawns, and takes off his shirt. “You know where everything is!” 

He does, and Hangyul helps himself to some water after he changes clothes. His eyes are feeling heavy, and he’s really looking forward to sleeping. They haven’t discussed who’s taking the bed and who’s kicked to the floor mattress, but Hangyul flops himself on the bed anyway. If he pouts enough, maybe Seungyoun will let him stay.

The next thing he knows, a hand is carding through his hair and he snorts awake. “Cheater,” Seungyoun chuckles. His hair is still wet from the shower, and he’s shirtless. “We were gonna rock-paper-scissors.” Hangyul just hums back, and Seungyoun dramatically sighs. _“Fine,_ guess I’ll just take it next time.” 

The smile Seungyoun gives him makes Hangyul’s heart stop beating. 

Next time. The next time Hangyul sleeps over. The next time Hangyul goes home with Seungyoun after work and they tease each other through the night. The next time they’re together for the sake of being together, not just for sex. The next time Hangyul laughs so hard at Seungyoun his sides hurt. The next time he and Seungyoun dance on stage and forget anyone is watching. The next time Seungyoun looks at Hangyul as if he’s worth protecting. 

The next time Hangyul wonders if Seungyoun is worth it. 

“What time do you want to wake up tomorrow?” Seungyoun asks as turns to his desk and taps on his phone. When Hangyul doesn't answer, he back turns to face him, and Hangyul can see the surprise on his face at the way Hangyul’ looking at him. “What?” 

Hangyul doesn’t answer. Instead, he gets up from the bed, eyes never breaking Seungyoun’s gaze, and walks up to him and kisses him. 

It’s not like their usual, desperate kisses; it’s gentle, almost hesitant. It’s his lips slowly moving against Seungyoun’s, his hands reaching for Seungyoun’s hips so he knows Seungyoun is really there. It’s Seungyoun kissing him back just as soft, sighing as he steps closer to Hangyul and their chests bump together. 

Hangyul takes Seungyoun’s hands and brings them to his shirt, and Seungyoun gets the idea. He pulls Hangyul’s shirt over his head, and Hangyul tugs his boxers down. Seungyoun laces their fingers together and moves Hangyul back to the bed, nudging him until he’s lying back down and Seungyoun can move on top of him. 

Hangyul looks up at him. “I-is this okay?” He didn’t really ask before he was naked, and he needs to be sure Seungyoun knows what he wants. 

Seungyoun smiles down at him. “Yeah,” he says softly. He puts one of his hands on Hangyul’s thigh, and Hangyul nearly moans at the touch. “How do you want it?” 

“Don’t care.” Hangyul leans up and catches Seungyoun’s lips. “Doesn’t matter, I just need you-” 

“Hey-” Seungyoun pulls away and lays a hand on Hangyul’s cheek. “I’ve got you.” 

Hangyul swallows. “I know.” 

Something flashes in Seungyoun’s eyes, so quick that Hangyul thinks he imagined it. But he doesn’t want to think right now - he wants Seungyoun. 

He lies down on the bed and makes Seungyoun’s choice for him, spreading his legs and nudging Seungyoun along. That knocks Seungyoun out of whatever he was thinking about. His usual sly smile appears back on his lips, and he chuckles out an “Okay, okay,” as he reaches over for lube and condoms. 

Hangyul pulls Seungyoun over him once he’s got the lube ready and kisses him, messy and desperate. Seungyoun kisses him right back, and settles in between Hangyul’s legs. It’s almost funny, Hangyul thinks, how familiar they’ve become with each other. Hangyul doesn’t need to think about moving his hands over Seungyoun’s back to draw him closer, already nodding so Seungyoun doesn’t need to ask before he slips a finger inside. It has Hangyul sighing. 

“Good?” Seungyoun asks, brushing some of Hangyul’s hair off of his face. 

“Of course,” Hangyul says with a bit of a laugh. He moves his hips a bit. “You can keep going.” 

Seungyoun slowly adds two more. “Don’t want to hurt you.” 

Hangyul almost makes a joke about how Seungyoun’s been rougher with him before, but that sounds strange now, almost wrong. So instead, he brings Seungyoun down for another kiss, groaning louder now that he feels full. Seungyoun’s always had pretty fingers; small, but crafty. He knows exactly how to use them, and soon Hangyul’s rutting up into Seungyoun’s body, his cock hard and already leaking. 

“Seungyoun-” Hangyul doesn’t even finish, because Seungyoun’s pulling his fingers out and finally pulling his pants down, tossing them aside and reaching for a condom. 

Hangyul watches as Seungyoun moves, and then sits up. “Wait-” Seungyoun freezes, and Hangyul shakes his head. “Can we…not...” He motions towards the condom, and his heart feels like it’s going to burst. They’ve never fucked without one, never really talked about _ not _ using one, and Hangyul’s heart beats even faster when Seungyoun realizes what he’s asking for. Seungyoun’s eyes go wide and and lets out a soft _ “Oh,” _ and _ fuck, _that was a mistake to ask, and Hangyul’s already shaking his head, “Sorry, never mind, we can just-”

Seungyoun leans over and shuts him up with a kiss. “Okay,” he whispers into Hangyul’s lips. “If that’s what you want.” 

Hangyul wants whatever Seungyoun will give him. He wants to feel all of Seungyoun, every part of him. He wants _Seungyoun;_ so, so much that it almost _hurts._

Seungyoun always is careful when pushing inside Hangyul, but tonight, he acts as if Hangyul’s made of glass. He reaches out to brush the bangs off of Hangyul’s forehead again, traces his fingers down Hangyul’s face, then his neck, then out to his arms. He finds Hangyul’s hand, squeezing it when he makes the slide in, and Hangyul groans at the stretch and squeezes his hand back. He can feel every inch of Seungyoun’s cock, so much warmer without a condom. 

_ “Seungyoun,” _he groans, and Seungyoun groans right back once he’s completely bottomed out. Seungyoun moves his other hand back up Hangyul’s body, up his chest to his right hand, and holds that one too. Hangyul looks up at him, watches Seungyoun’s chest heave and eyes flutter closed, watches as he bites his lip and as his hair curls around his face. 

He’s beautiful.

Hangyul whines a bit, moving his hips so Seungyoun knows he’s ready. He could spend the entire night just like this, watching Seungyoun, stuffed full and warm, but he wants Seungyoun to come, wants Seungyoun to feel good. 

The elder tries to pull back, but Hangyul whines louder. He releases Seungyoun’s hands and reaches out for his shoulders, pulling Seungyoun to him so their chests are together. Hangyul wraps his arms Seungyoun’s back and wraps his legs around Seungyoun’s waist. 

_ “Fuck, _ Hangyul,” Seungyoun curses, deep and breathless. He completely melts against Hangyul’s body, arms moving to bracket Hangyul’s face and then he finally starts moving his hips. 

Hangyul hiccups at each thrust, softly gasping at the feeling of Seungyoun’s cock dragging in and out of him. He brings a hand up and threads it through Seungyoun’s hair, and Seungyoun buries his face into Hangyu’s neck. He mouths something that Hangyul misses, but he can’t hear much over his own groans and all of the blood rushing through his ears. 

It’s a mess of moans and sweat, sweet kisses and soft hands, and Hangyul doesn’t think he’s ever felt this overwhelmed. Their bodies barely part and it’s so _intimate _that it has Hangyul’s heart racing. They’ve never fucked like this before. Hangyul can feel every one of Seungyoun’s muscles against him, can feel every breathe Seungyoun takes. It’s not about reaching an end or fighting for dominance. Hangyul’s not sure what it’s about this time, but he feels _warm. _He feels warm and safe and _wanted_ and _god,_ he hopes this never ends. 

_ “Hangyul,” _ Seungyoun moans, and Hangyul wants to hear his name on Seungyoun’s lips forever. “Hangyul, do you want me-”

“Inside,” he pleads immediately. Hangyul wraps his legs tighter around Seungyoun’s waist, pushing him in deeper and making them both moan. _“Please, please, _inside,_”_ and that makes Seungyoun groan louder. 

He pulls away from Hangyul’s neck and goes back to his lips, and Hangyul lets him. He pants as Seungyoun sucks on this lips and his hips move faster, and he lets his sanity fly out the window so he can chant Seungyoun’s name over and over again. Hangyul can feel Seungyoun’s stomach tighten - he’s near, and Hangyul helps him by clenching around Seungyoun. 

That does it. Seungyoun snaps forward, gasping as he comes. Hangyul groans when he feels Seungyoun’s release, hot and sticky inside him, and groans louder as Seungyoun keeps working his hips with every pulse of his dick. 

He starts to pull away and Hangyul whines, tightening his arms to keep him in place. “Let me,” Seungyoun whispers with a bit of a laugh. Hangyul huffs, but releases him, letting Seungyoun push himself up onto his knees. Seungyoun takes one of Hangyul’s hands again and brings the other to Hangyul’s hips, and fucks up into him. Hangyul keens, throwing his head back against the pillow. 

Seungyoun pulls Hangyul back onto his cock, lifting his hips off the bed to get a better angle. It has Hangyul near tears. His body feels like it’s one fire, and he can feel everything - Seungyoun’s cock still pulsing inside of him, come leaking out onto his thighs, the sheets rubbing against his back, Seungyoun’s hand holding his, gently rubbing circles around his palm. 

_ “C’mon, Hangyul,” _Seungyoun moans, and Hangyul obeys. 

He comes untouched, and he can’t even tell if he’s silent or screaming or crying or maybe doing it all at once. All we can be sure of is Seungyoun’s forehead nudging against his, and a soft “There you go,” whispered between them. 

Seungyoun gives Hangyul a few minutes before he pulls out and immediately reaches for some tissues. Hangyul whines at the loss, already feeling empty, but all he gets is a poke to the nose. So he relaxes into the mattress, watches with hooded eyes as Seungyoun cleans him, entranced by how careful Seungyoun wipes him down. Seungyoun catches him watching at one point, and Hangyul feels his face redden. He’s waiting for Seungyoun to laugh at him, maybe chastise him for making Seungyoun clean up again, but to his surprise all he gets is a soft smile, followed by a kiss on the forehead once Seungyoun’s done. 

When the elder flops down next to Hangyul, Hangyul rolls himself over and throws and a leg and an arm over him. Seungyoun lets out an over dramatic _ “Oof,” _ but works an arm under Hangyul’s body so he can pull him closer. 

Okay. 

Wow.

This is _really_ nice. 

Why haven’t they cuddled after sex before? Hangyul’s been missing out.

No matter. Hangyul makes a mental note to bring this up to Seungyoun later. Right now, he just sighs and tries to kick up the blanket and put it over them. Seungyoun helps, and soon they’re both tucked in and warm, and yeah, Hangyul’s always cuddling after sex from now on. 

He’ll probably fall asleep within the next few minutes. He has half a mind to warn Seungyoun, but judging by how Seungyoun’s chest is rising and falling, he’ll be asleep soon, too. So Hangyul just buries himself further into the blankets and Seungyoun’s chest. 

“Hey.”

Hangyul tries not to whine as he looks up at Seungyoun. He’s got the gentle smile on his lips, and Hangyul wonders if Seungyoun heard his heart skip a beat.

“I listened to your playlist,” Seungyoun says softly, carding a few fingers through Hangyul’s hair.

Hangyul swallows. “Yeah?" 

“Yeah.” Seungyoun murmurs back, softer this time. “I loved it.” 

If his heart didn’t burst before, Hangyul thinks it may now. His chest tightens, in a way Hangyul almost forgot about, and Hangyul has to keep his lips sealed together before he says something he’s going to regret. 

So instead, he swallows again. “Thank you.”

Hangyul’s not sure what he’s thanking Seungyoun for, but he knows it’s not about the music. 

_____

As much as Hangyul hates to admit it, he may have to reconsider his hatred for vampires. They’re cliche and overdone in every possible way, but _ damn _ does it get a crowd riled up. 

A group of foreigners are tucking money into his pants, and Hangyul smiles at them, flashing the fake fangs Seungyoun found online. They were cheap looking and Hangyul scoffed at using them for a set; but then Seungyoun pouted and Hangyul was a goner. So here he is, dancing to a remix of “Creep” and dressed as a vampire. 

One of the men holds out a ten thousand won bill and Hangyul takes his hand, teasingly scrapping the fans against his wrist before taking the money. This has more people holding out their money, and Hangyul tries to get it all before the song ends. 

“Let’s hear it for our sexy demon, Hangyul!” Seungwoo says into the microphone. The crowd screams and Hangyul takes a bow. He goes around one last time to collect any extra tips, then runs off stage. 

Yohan gives him a high five when they pass backstage. “That was great!” he says with a large smile. 

“Thanks.” Hangyul grabs a water bottle, then towel and pats himself down. “Knock ‘em dead.” Yohan smiles and runs on stage. 

Hangyul walks back to his dressing room, wanting to get changed quickly so he doesn’t miss Seungyoun’s new set. He walks into the room, and is surprised to see Wooseok still there, looking in the mirror. “Aren’t you on after Yohan?” he asks, taking out the fake fangs. 

“Not tonight.” Wooseok pulls away from the mirror, satisfied with his look. “Your boyfriend’s up next.” 

Hangyul nearly chokes on his water. _Really, _this conversation again? “He’s - _wheeze_ \- not my fucking boyfriend.” 

“Oh, sorry. Your fuck buddy that you have a raging emotional boner for is up next.” 

What. 

“H-how did you-” Now he chokes on air. “I _don’t _have-” 

“The amount of used condoms I’ve found in this dressing room is obscene.” Wooseok stares at him through the mirror. “Also you’re _loud.”_

Well fuck. 

Hangyul prays his face isn’t as red as he thinks it is. “You’re just a pervert, no one else noticed...”

“Yohan doesn’t count, he’s as oblivious as they come.” Wooseok turns to face him. “Oh, Seungwoo knows, too. He’s just too polite to point it out.”

Hangyul may choke again. _ “Oh my god.” _

“Well, it’s your fault, anyway. Neither of you are subtle in your mutual pining.” 

“I’m _ not _ pining for Seungyoun,” he snorts, sitting down in his chair and looking in the mirror. Yep, he’s definitely blushing. 

“And I’m not Kim Wooseok.” 

“And he’s _definitely_ not pining for me.” 

“And you’re not Lee Hangyul.” 

“Wooseok…” Hangyul groans, running a hand through his hair. “There’s nothing going on between us, okay?” 

If by nothing he means spending the last few days thinking non stop about buying Seungyoun a new plant so they can grow one _together, _then yeah, there’s nothing between them. 

“What’s the point of denying it? You’re practically dating, anyway. There’s no difference.” 

“Yeah, actually, there’s the whole _feelings.”_

Wooseok raises an eyebrow. “And you don’t have feelings _now?” _

The _no_ almost comes out, but the lie gets stuck on Hangyul’s lips. 

Wooseok catches it, the hesitation, and it has him rolling his eyes. “Look, do what you want. I’m not too keen on the dating nuances between two guys.” He grabs a water bottle and starts walking to the door. “But if you really don’t have feelings for Seungyoun, you may want to let _him_ know that.” 

“What does that-“ 

Wooseok walks out the door before Hangyul can say another word. 

_____

“So when are we seeing _Aladdin?”_

“Huh?” Seungyoun looks up from his bowl, a bit dazed. 

_“Aladdin,”_ Hangyul repeats, with a light laugh. “I just gotta know so I can tell Yohan I can’t make dinner that night before work.” He wonders if Seungyoun didn’t get any sleep last night - Seungyoun has some dark circles under his eyes. He hopes everything is okay. 

It makes him worry a bit more when Seungyoun still doesn’t answer, just looks at him with sad eyes. “Hangyul,” he eventually says. “What are we doing?” 

“Uh,” Hangyul looks down at his bowl, then back up. “Eating ramen?” 

Seungyoun lets out a breathless chuckle, shaking his head and giving Hangyul a sad smile. “No, what are _we_ doing?” He points his chopsticks between the two of them. 

Something sinks in the bottom of his stomach. “W-what do you mean?” 

“What are you and I?” 

Hangyul was afraid this conversation would come up. “We’re…” 

“Co-workers?” Seungyoun finishes, his tone as if co-workers was a dirty word. 

“No,” Hangyul replies, furiously shaking his head. “No, we’re friends, right?” 

“Is that what we are? _Friends?”_

“Aren’t we?” 

“Is that what you _ think _ we are?” 

“Yeah,” Hangyul says, getting a little desperate. “Yeah, of course we’re friends. Why wouldn’t we be?” 

Seungyoun sighs, putting down his chopsticks, and the sad smile is back on his face. “Friends don’t have sex, Hangyul.” 

Oh. 

“Is _that_ what this is about? The other night?” Hangyul’s trying to keep his voice down, not wanting to draw any attention to them in this small ramen shop. Did he do something wrong? Was it falling asleep together? Not using a condom? Being a little too intimate? Seungyoun seemed willing and eager with everything, and even joked a bit in the morning when they woke up next to each other. 

“No, that’s not-“ 

“So sex was okay when we _weren’t_ friends?” Okay, now Hangyul’s feeling a bit angry. Was Seungyoun really just in it for the sex? Did he care at all for Hangyul outside of it? “I mean, friends can have sex, right? Just for sex?” 

“Hangyul…” Seungyoun starts again, this time sadder. “It stopped being just about sex a long time ago.” 

Hangyul feels numb. His chest tightens again, but this time it _hurts. _

“I think we need to stop this,” Seungyoun continues, calm, collected. 

Panic is beginning to set in. “W-what’s wrong with what we’re doing? We’re having fun, right?” 

_“Just_ fun?” 

“For _fucks_ sake, Seungyoun,” Hangyul growls, almost slamming his fist against the table.“What the fuck is your problem?” 

Seungyoun has the audacity to smile, even though it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t think I can be friends with you anymore.” 

Oh. 

_Oh. _

His chest tightens even more, and Hangyul’s wonders if he’s even breathing. “You’re...breaking up with me?” he whispers. 

Seungyoun snorts, looking a bit ashamed when he does._ “Friends_ don’t break up, Hangyul.” 

Oh. 

Seungyoun pulls out his wallet and throws some money on the table. “I think we both have some things we need to figure out.” He stands up, and gives Hangyul one last smile. “See you at work.”

_____

“Hey!” Yohan chirps as soon as Hangyul opens their door. “Are you doing anything tomorrow? Because Yuvin and I want to-” He stops when he sees Hangyul in the doorway. “What...what happened?”

“I-I...don’t know,” Hangyul admits, and the tears start falling. 

Back in high school, Hangyul had his heart broken for the first time. He fell head over heels for a senior, and fell too fast. Something was telling him it was off, something wasn’t right, but Hangyul was too happy to have someone who cared about him. 

A few months and his lost virginity later, the boy he thought he loved left him, and Hangyul felt his heart break into tiny pieces. 

This feels much, much worse than that.

“I’m sorry, Gyul,” Yohan says softly, petting Hangyul’s hair. 

Hangyul sniffs, breath still shaky from his crying. “I don’t know what happened.” He shifts his head in Yohan’s lap so he can look up at him. 

“It sounds like you two really moved past the whole co-workers with benefits thing.” 

“But that shouldn’t matter?” Hangyul laments, throwing an arm over his face. “Why can’t we just be friends? Why can’t we just be friends who have sex and watch movies together and cuddle sometimes and go out for lunch?” It all seems so simple, so easy, but why is the universe so against it all? He groans, forlorn and frustrated, cursing the universe. When he takes his arm away, he frowns. 

The look on Yohan’s face makes him wonder if he’s missing something. “What?” he asks. 

Yohan shakes his head, breathing deeply through his nose. “I love you, but you’re an idiot sometimes.” He pokes Hangyul in the chest. “Why do you think Seungyoun can’t be friends with you anymore?”

“Because I’m a horrible human being who doesn’t deserve happiness.” 

Yohan smacks him on the forehead. “Try again.”

Hangyul groans, but humors Yohan by actually thinking. “He said...he said because friends don’t have sex.” 

“And why couldn’t friends have sex?” 

“Because…” Hangyul trails off, because that’s exactly the question he’s trying to figure out. 

Yohan sighs. “Because _friends_ don’t fall in love.” 

What. 

Hangyul shouts up from Yohan’s lap, nearly smacking him right in the head. “T-that’s not-” 

Seungyoun didn’t want to stop because he wanted to just have sex. 

Seungyoun wanted to stop because he wanted _ more. _

Suddenly, a lot of Seungyoun’s actions start making sense: his protectiveness, the invites to go out for food, the way he treated Hangyul when they had sex, why they started having _less_ sex, the cuddling, the touches- 

“Oh,” is all Hangyul can say. 

He feels like an idiot. 

“I-I just didn't think-” 

“Someone would fall in love with you?” Yohan snorts. He pulls Hangyul back down to his lap so Hangyul’s can see his face again. “Despite what you think, you’re an amazing person who can make someone happy.” 

Seungyoun had feelings for him. And Hangyul didn’t even think that was possible. 

“Oh _god,_ I fucked everything up,” he cries, throwing his hands onto his face. Stupid, stupid, _stupid._

“You can make things better. But I don’t think you and Seungyoun can be just friends.” 

He’s right. Of course he’s right. He and Seungyoun aren’t friends anymore. This is beyond that. Hangyul could never imagine doing the things he does with Seungyoun with a friend. He whimpers. “What do I do?” 

“Well…” Yohan bites his lip. “You have to decide whether you want to be more than friends with Seungyoun.” He looks down at Hangyul. “And then ask yourself if you’ll be able to to get past what’s holding you back.”

That first part is easy; he’s known for a while. “I...think I really like him.” 

“But…?” 

“But what if I’m wrong? What if he doesn’t have feelings for me?” The worlds are tumbling out again, and Hangyul’s mind _reels. _“What if...what if we start dating and things go horribly wrong? What if he realizes I’m not worth it and breaks things off and I never talk to him again?” 

What if he loses Seungyoun. 

He feels Yohan card through his hair again, calming. “Is Seungyoun worth trying?” he asks. 

Hangyul’s heart pounds through his chest and that’s all the answer he needs. 

_____

He calls off work the next two nights. He tells the manager he’s sick and needs to rest. He’s never taken a day off in his life, but the manager tells him to feel better and let him know how Hangyul’s doing tomorrow. 

Hangyul spends the first night on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and absentmindedly watching movies. Most of the evening is spent talking to himself, trying to find the right words to tell Seungyoun. 

_I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was afraid of feelings._

_Why didn’t you tell me you liked me, you dick._

_ I don’t want to lose you. _

_I think I lo-_

Hangyul huffs, shaking his head. Not that. Not yet, at least. 

It’s frightening, because by the time he crawls into bed a little after midnight, he’s still unsure of what he wants to say to Seungyoun. And it keeps him up all night, so late he can hear Yohan come from from work a little after 3 in the morning. He eventually falls asleep, and wakes up to the smell of breakfast being cooked. So he hobbles out of bed, blanket wrapped around his shoulders, and sees Yohan making some jeon. “I was gonna make you breakfast in bed,” he says with a bit of a pout now that Hangyul is awake.

Hangyul will never deserve Yohan. 

Yohan shoos Hangyul back to bed and brings breakfast in. They set up Yohan’s laptop and watch a few episodes of _ Goblin. _

Things go great until Lee Dongwook appears and Hangyul feels his stomach twist. “I’m gonna fuck this up,” Hangyul whispers, and Yohan bops him on the head. 

“No you won’t. Just be honest with how you feel.” Yohan gives him a smile. “And if for some reason things don’t work out, I’ll be here for you.” He pauses, then snickers. “And I can roundhouse kick him in the face.” 

Hangyul laughs. 

_____

Yohan gives his hand a squeeze and a soft “You can do it,” before he opens the club door. He immediately heads backstage to his dressing room, and Hangyul makes a turn to the floor. It’s Wednesday, and Seungyoun’s opening.

He briefly wonders if he could make a run for it back out the door, catch a taxi to Incheon, and flee to Antarctica. But then he’d miss Yohan’s graduation in two years. 

He swears. Curse him for being such a good friend. 

When he opens the backstage door, he can already hear Seungyoun’s voice. That almost makes him run in the opposite direction, but Lee Hangyul is a badass and does not run in fear. It’s complete bullshit, but at least it gets him through the door. 

Seungyoun is behind the bar, cleaning glasses and talking to Seungwoo. They’re speaking in low tones, and Seungyoun keeps shaking his head. Hangyul gulps and walks closer. 

Seungyoun looks up and sees him, and the surprise and almost fear in his eyes makes Hangyul forget how to breathe. Maybe this is a bad idea. 

Seungwoo turns as well, and his eyes light up when he sees Hangyul. “Oh!” He looks back to Seungyoun, then to Hangyul. “I...need to look over my lines,” he mumbles, getting off the barstool and walking back to the stage. He gives Hangyul a warm smile and mouths “Good luck” when he passes by. 

Okay. He can do this. 

Seungyoun is looking back down, busy washing glasses in the sink. Hangyul walks up to the bar and sits where Seungwoo did. “Hi,” he starts with. 

Seungyoun pauses, and sighs. “Hi,” he says back, looking up at Hangyul. There are still dark circles under his eyes and Hangyul’s stomach churns. 

Okay. He can do this. Just tell the truth. Be honest. Don’t be afraid. 

He takes a deep breath. “I’m-“ 

“I’m sorry,” Seungyoun says, shaking his head. 

“-sorry for-” Hangyul stops, now registering what Seungyoun said. “Wait, what?” 

“I’m sorry. I was an asshole.” Seungyoun sighs again, and throws down the towel he had on his shoulder. “I should have told you that I was catching feelings, and I shouldn’t have expected you to feel the same. I messed up, and I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable.” 

This is...not how Hangyul thought the conversation would go. “Seungyoun-“ 

“We can just forget I said anything...” Seungyoun continues. He bites his lips, and gives Hangyul a shy look. “And...go back to what we were doing.” 

They can pretend that nothing happened, go back to skirting around their feelings. They can keep hanging out and having sex and not worry about what they’re doing. He and Seungyoun can stay friends. 

“No.” 

Seungyoun’s head snaps up, an almost distressed whine coming out from his lips and Hangyul quickly shakes his hands. “No, no I mean…” Maybe he shouldn’t have said no right away, Seungyoun looks like he’s about to _cry_ and oh _god_ did he fuck up. “I don’t…“ He takes a deep breath. “Just want to be friends.” 

The silence is deafening. 

But the look of despair on Seungyoun’s face slowly turns softer, and Hangyul supposes he hasn’t scared him away just yet. 

“I’m, uh,” He gives a tight laugh, running his hand through his hair. “Really bad with feelings. I get scared, cause relationships never really worked out for me.” 

Seungyoun stays quiet, but is watching, listening. Hangyul takes another breath. “I...had a bad life with my family. They left me.” He swallows the lump that forms in his throat. You’d think after all these years, Hangyul would be used to it. “And then I’ve lost friends...and then the last time I thought I was in love…I was young and stupid. And let him use me. And when he left, I broke a bit, because I thought I did something wrong and wasn’t good enough.” 

Hangyul has to stop for a moment. It hurts, having to remember. He’s never told anyone about his past, only Yohan. 

Seungyoun is still listening, waiting for Hangyul to continue.

So he does: “And it’s so much easier to push people away because they can’t hurt you. So when we started moving past just being physical, I panicked. Because I was happy. And when I’m happy, it usually doesn’t last. 

“But these past few days have sucked, because I miss you. A lot.” Hangyul chuckles again, shaking his head. “And I kept wanting to be just friends because I kept thinking it’ll protect me, but…I was so past that, too. And I didn’t want to admit it.” 

He swallows another lump, and he hopes he doesn’t start crying in front of Seungyoun. “So. I’m sorry. For not being honest with you.” 

Seungyoun licks his lips. “Honest about…?” 

“For not being honest...that I like you. A lot. As more than friends. And, honestly, a lot more than that, but this is kind of a lot for me right now so-” 

“Hey,” Seungyoun interrupts, now with a smile. He reaches out and grab one of Hangyul’s hand, gently rubbing it. "It’s okay.” 

Yeah, he may really start crying. 

“Um…” Hangyul coughs, trying to will the tears back into his eyes. “Can we...maybe start over?” 

Seungyoun tilts his head. “Start over how?” 

“Like…” Hangyul takes his hand back from Seungyoun’s grasp and stick it out towards him. “Hi, I’m Hangyul. I think you’re hot and funny and fun to be around, and I like the way you make me feel. Do you want to get breakfast sometime?” 

Seungyoun laughs and takes his hand, a full laugh that goes right to his eyes and they’re shining and Hangyul’s heart flips. “Hi, I’m Seungyoun. I also think you’re hot, and adorable-” 

Hangyul scowls, “I am _not-”_

“-and you have a big heart, and I’ll get breakfast with you, only if you get lunch with me after.” 

Hangyul smiles back. “Deal.”

_____

_“No!”_

Hangyul doesn’t even bother moving. 

“No! This is _not_ how things are going to be now!” Wooseok bellows from behind them. “_Out!”_

Hangyul keeps a firm grip on Seungyoun’s hips, but the elder still pulls away. “I can kiss my boyfriend any time I want!” Seungyoun shoots back. 

_Boyfriend._

Hangyul giggles. 

They decided to make it official yesterday, only after two weeks of actually dating. Seungyoun joked that he would have asked Hangyul after their first date, but he waited to say anything until Hangyul asked first. 

Hangyul almost wished Seungyoun would have asked - not only would Hangyul have said yes immediately, it probably would have been more romantic than Hangyul falling asleep on Seungyoun’s shoulder and just asking, “Can we be boyfriends now?” 

“Not in my dressing room you can’t!” 

“It’s my dressing room too,” Hangyul says, turning himself as much as he can on the couch to look at Wooseok. He sticks his tongue out. “Boyfriend stays.” 

Wooseok looks back and forth between them, before scowling. “I liked it better when you two were sneaking around...” he mumbles, stomping away from the room. 

Seungyoun snorts and shakes his head, settling himself back on Hangyul’s lap. “So,” he says, smiling down at Hangyul. “When are we meeting Yohan and Yuvin?” 

“Does tomorrow work?” Hangyul asks, rubbing circles on Seungyoun’s hips. 

“Only if you let me take you home after and spoil you rotten,” Seungyoun says back, with his smile so breathtaking. 

There’s a word or three that are bursting through Hangyul’s chest, words he hasn’t meant in a long, long time. It’s frightening how sure he is, but he doesn’t have to worry about that now. Seungyoun’s patient, understanding; he knows that Hangyul will tell him when he’s ready. 

For now, Hangyul just kisses Seungyoun again, because what he can’t say now, he’ll show, and that’s alright with him.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, you can find me @meggsandbaecon on Twitter!


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